Nzonzi handed three-match ban

Blackburn midfielder Steven Nzonzi has been banned for three matches after accepting a Football Association charge of violent conduct.

The 22-year-old Frenchman appeared to catch Stoke’s Ryan Shawcross in the face with an elbow in the ninth minute of Rovers’ 3-1 defeat at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday.

Referee Mark Halsey did not see the incident at the time but it was caught on video and that prompted the charge.

“The Rovers midfielder has accepted the FA charge and his ban will start immediately, making him unavailable for tonight’s Carling Cup quarter-final at Cardiff and the two upcoming league games at home to Swansea and away to Sunderland,” said a statement from Blackburn.