15.04.2016 17:37 h

De Jong banned for MLS horror tackle

Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder Nigel de Jong was hit with a three-game suspension Friday for a tackle which left an opponent needing to be taken off the pitch in a wheelchair.

Major League Soccer's disciplinary committee said de Jong had also been fined an undisclosed amount for the tackle on Portland Timbers player Darlington Nagbe in last weekend's 1-1 draw.

Nagbe was left writhing in agony after de Jong's 73rd-minute over-the-top challenge, but escaped serious injury.

A statement acknowledged that while de Jong was booked for the tackle, he should have been sent off for serious foul play that endangered the safety of an opponent.

"The action was a clear and unequivocal red card and the play was of an egregious and reckless nature such that the Committee must act to protect player safety," the statement said.

De Jong's tackle had triggered an outcry amongst American soccer fans, who have bitter memories of a 2010 challenge by the former Manchester City player which left US international Stuart Holden with a broken leg.

De Jong, who also famously hit the headlines in 2010 for a brutal challenge on Spain's Xabi Alonso during the World Cup final, had apologized for his tackle on Nagbe.

"In a game like this, it's never the intention to hurt anybody, as well with my foul," de Jong said.