Advertisement

Soccer-Sunderland's M'Vila sees red after headbutting opponent

Aug 10 (Reuters) - Sunderland midfielder Yann M'Vila enhanced his reputation as an ill-tempered player by headbutting an opponent and getting himself sent-off in his debut for the Black Cats under-21 squad against Norwich City on Sunday. Sunderland signed M'Vila, 25, on loan from Rubin Kazan last week and the temperamental French player was sent off in the 67th minute for headbutting Norwich striker Jamar Loza. The flashpoint came midway through the second half when Loza pushed Sunderland centre-half Tom Beadling to the floor. M'Vila came over, got involved and headbutted Loza, earning himself a red card. Sunderland must now wait and see if the FA choose to hand down a follow-up suspension, which could keep M'Vila out of action in the Premier League. Sunderland withstood a period of intense Norwich pressure after the sending off and managed to hold for a 3-1 victory. (Reporting By Simon Jennings in Bengaluru; editing by Amlan Chakraborty)