Manchester United midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger will serve a three-match ban after admitting a violent conduct charge.
Schweinsteiger, 31, will miss Premier League games against Bournemouth, Norwich City and Stoke City after being suspended by the FA but will be available to return against Chelsea on Dec. 28.
The Germany captain was charged for elbowing Winston Reid in the first half in United's 0-0 draw with West Ham last Saturday.
Bastian Schweinsteiger has been handed a three-game ban (to commence immediately) by The FA. More: https://t.co/x0JCJYaVkX
- Manchester United (@ManUtd) December 10, 2015
Hammers manager Slaven Bilic described it as "a moment of madness" and said he thought Schweinsteiger should have been sent off.
Referee Mark Clattenburg had spoken with both Reid and Schweinsteiger but did not take any further action at the time, and did not mention the incident in the report he submitted to the FA -- allowing the governing body to charge the player.
Schweinsteiger's suspension has come at an awkward time for United as fellow midfielders Morgan Schneiderlin and Ander Herrera have both been injured.
A statement on the FA's official website read: "Bastian Schweinsteiger will serve a three-match suspension with immediate effect after he accepted an FA charge for violent conduct which was not seen by the match officials but caught on video.
"The Manchester United midfielder was involved in an incident with West Ham United's Winston Reid in the 40th minute of the game on Saturday Dec. 5, 2015."
The Germany captain misses United's trip to Bournemouth on Saturday, as well as a home clash against Norwich on Dec. 19 before the Boxing Day match at Stoke.
Schweinsteiger has been criticised for his recent form by United boss Louis van Gaal, though Germany coach Joachim Low defended his captain as "world-class."
The FA issued a statement on Monday when Schweinsteiger was charged, which read: "The matter was referred to a panel of three former elite referees who each reviewed the video footage independently of one another to determine whether they considered it a sending-off offence.
"For an FA charge to follow, the decision by the panel must be unanimous."