How Cunha Reduced A Ban After Paying For Security Guard’s Glasses | OneFootball

Wolverhampton Wanderers’ recent win against Ipswich at Portman Road has all but ended any hope that Ipswich will be able to stay in the Premier League. The win puts Wolves 12 points above the Tractor Boys, and, barring an extraordinary turn of events, Ipswich will now join Leicester and Southampton in the Championship next season.

The away victory was made all the sweeter after Wolves lost 2-1 to Ipswich at home in December after Jack Taylor scored a 94th-minute winner. However, it wasn’t the last-minute goal that made the headlines but the melee at the end of the match that resulted in Rayan Aït-Nouri being sent off and Matheus Cunha snatching the glasses off of a security guard’s face.

“It was never my intention to come into contact with [the Ipswich employee], and I certainly never meant to elbow him. I simply wanted to push him away from [teammate] Rayan Aït-Nouri. Then all of a sudden, I remember [he] turned round and had his hands on my shirt, and I shouted ‘stop’, but he kept hold of my shirt. “[He] is much bigger than me and I was surrounded by a large number of people, mainly ITFC personnel, so I remember feeling quite threatened at the time. So, in an effort to get [him] to let go of my shirt, in the heat of the moment, I regrettably reached out and grabbed his glasses. I know it was wrong to do this, and I take full responsibility for my actions.”

In order to reduce his ban, Cunha agreed to pay for the security guard’s glasses. Although the FA disagreed with Cunha’s explanation that he had been provoked, they accepted his apology, reduced the three-match ban to two matches, and reduced the fine to £80,000.

The FA said: “The Commission unanimously agreed that a significant financial penalty was also appropriate, given the serious nature of the incident. It initially considered that a fine of £120,000 would be commensurate with the offence. However, it took account of the mitigating factors and decided to apply a similar ‘discount’ to that applied to the sporting sanction. It concluded that a fine of £80,000 would be appropriate.”

With Cunha offering to pay for new glasses, the security guard was well within his rights to have requested an upgrade on his current pair. It would be a small price for Cunha to pay compared to the £80,000. Judging by the pictures from the match, the security guard favours black frames as his preferred choice. Frames for black glasses come in several different materials, ranging from plastic to top-of-the-range titanium. If the guard wanted to get his full money’s worth, he could invest in black titanium frames, which are the most durable type of frames for glasses. They would also be the best choice if he were ever to get into another scuffle with a footballer.

Since his scuffle, ban, and replacing the security guard’s glasses, Cunha has been vocal about leaving Wolves. The Brazilian has a £62.5 million release clause in his contract and has been linked with Arsenal, Aston Villa, and Nottingham Forest. He is among the Premier League’s top goal-scorers and ranks fifth for the total number of shots this season. He has also been picked to play for Brazil as they look to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. The future looks very bright for Cunha, and if he continues to keep his cool, he won’t be paying for any more glasses in the future as he moves to bigger and better things.