Fulham manager Marco Silva and striker Aleksandar Mitrovic both apologized personally to referee Chris Kavanagh for their abusive behavior in the 1/4 finals of the FA Cup.
Mitrovic in a burst of anger against a penalty decision by Kavanagh, pushed the referee and was immediately given a red card. Marco Silva, on the other hand was sent off for dissent on the touchline a couple of second prior.
In addition to his public apology, Mitrovic accepted a club fine and expressed his regret for his actions in front of his teammates for letting them down. Speeking to the media on Wednesday, the Serbian striker said:
‘I have been away with my national team and have had some time to reflect on the Manchester United match. As everyone knows, it was a very emotional one, in which the team gave absolutely everything on the pitch to try to reach the semi final of the FA Cup.
‘On a personal level, I regret my actions that led to me being sent off. I allowed my frustration to get the better of me, and how I reacted was wrong. I was trying to get the referee’s attention, but I appreciate that I should not have put my hands on him and I understand why he showed me a red card, my first in-game sending off for Fulham and my first since the 2015-16 season
When asked, Silva said that he would have no problem if Kavanagh were to officiate a Fulham game from now onward.