Wellington Phoenix midfielder Mandi has been banned for three matches after a horror tackle during a 0-0 draw against Adelaide United on Saturday night.
Mandi was sent off for kicking United's Vince Lia who was on the ground.
The ball was lodged under a prone Lia just outside the penaltyarea but by the time Mandi's swinging boot arrived on the scene, the ball had gone but Lia had not.
The kick to Lia's midriff was initially given a yellow card by referee Stephen Lucas, but was later upgraded to a red under advise from the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).
Lia had been booked for a foul on Mandi just four minutes earlier during a spell when tempers frayed and five cards were shown in 13 minutes.
The A-League's independent match review panel deemed the offence to be an "assault on a player", and dished out the three-match ban.
Despite losing a player, the Phoenix hung on to the goalless draw which extends their unbeaten run to six games.
Mandi Sosa is an absolute grub. Kicked a bloke lying defenceless. Absolute nonsense for him to claim he was playing the ball. Whistle had gone and even if it hadn't the kick was always going to connect with Isiais. Meant it 100% #ADLvWEL#AdelaideUnited#ALeague
