FA investigates biting incident in Preston, Blackburn – Source

The English Football Association is investigating an alleged biting incident during the EFL Championship match between Preston and Blackburn Rovers on Sunday, a source told ESPN.

Blackburn defender Owen Beck, who was on loan to the club from Liverpool, complained to referee Mathew Donohue that he had been bitten by Preston striker Milutin Osmajic following an incident in the first half of the 0-0 draw.

Osmajic received a yellow card from the referee, but Blackburn manager John Eustace said after the game that Beck was left with a bite mark as a result of the incident.

“Owen has a large bite mark on his neck and it's a shame the referee didn't see it,” Eustace told BBC Radio Lancashire. “This is a very serious incident, nobody likes to be bitten.”

“Everyone is upset about it. It's not a nice situation. I'm sure the right people will see it and we'll move on from there.”

According to a source, the English Football Association is aware of the incident and will now conduct an investigation.

Former Liverpool striker Luis Suárez was banned for ten matches by the English Football Association (FA) in 2013 for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic.

And although he said he did not see the incident, Preston manager Paul Heckingbottom said: “There is no room for biting.”

“All I can say is that there is no room for the [biting] and we know you can't do that,” Heckingbottom told Radio Lancashire. “Mistimed tackles and things like that are part of the game, you accept them.”

“Anything that isn't the case, we know how to deal with it. But I haven't seen anything, so I'm just assuming. [the media] say there is an incident.”