Milutin Osmajic: Football's Biggest Bad Boy Strikes Again

Milutin Osmajic: Football's Biggest Bad Boy Strikes Again

Football has had its fair share of bad boys throughout history – think of Eric Cantona fly-kicking the fan against Crystal Palace, or Joey Barton, well, just being Joey Barton… There's always someone causing some controversy.

But perhaps no player in the history of football has ever reached, and sustatined, the levels of scumbaggery we are currently witnessing by Preston striker Milutin Osmajic.

The Montenegrin has been in England for three years now, and it's safe to say they've been turbulent.

His most recent excursion resulted in a straight red card, which brings a three-game ban and takes his total to 20 matches suspended in just over two seasons.

So, with that being said, let's dive into the rather diabolical career of Osmajic – football's biggest bad boy.

A Mid-Game Snack

Osmajic's first foray into the realm of supervillain status came at the beginning of last season in none other than a Lancashire derby between Preston and Blackburn.

Toward the end of a feisty affair which had already seen Sam Greenwood sent off for visitors Blackburn, Osmajic and Owen Beck came together.

It would seem that the Preston striker hadn't had his breakfast that morning, and his hunger got the better of him as he chowed down on the prime cut shoulder of fullback Beck, causing immediate chaos between the two sides.

Interestingly enough, Osmajic escaped a red card as the ref didn't see the bite, with Beck instead receiving a sending off for his understandably irate reaction.

In the wake of those fireworks, an investigation into Osmajic's conduct resulted in a hefty 8-match ban, and a well-deserved one at that.

But Osmajic didn't just stop at channelling his inner Dracula…

No Room For Racism

A 0-0 draw against Burnley last February was the scene for the next instalment of Milutin madness.

The fixture was delayed for several minutes in the second half as Hannibal Mejbri furiously protested to referee Andrew Kitchen about something that had been said to him by Osmajic.

No sanction was given in the game, but Hannibal would write passionately on his Instagram after the game regarding the apparent comment, condemning it and saying he would not stay silent on the matter.

An investigation was launched, and Osmajic was found guilty of an "aggravated breach" where using abusive words which included reference to colour or race was found to be proven.

This resulted in a nine-game ban which was issued in November of the same year, one which both Preston and Osmajic himself strongly refute to this day – with the striker pleading innocence and the club believing the outcome was based on 'balance of probabilities' rather than 'beyond reasonable doubt'.

The ban was upheld and Osmajic served it before returning to action in early January of this year.

But, as you may have guessed, it didn't take him long to once again get back to his unsavoury ways…

It's Football, Not a Streetfight

This past weekend, Preston played Hull City in a game with massive implications for both the playoff race and the race for automatic promotion.

Both sides were desperate for a win, and despite being the away team, Hull came with an intensity and desire which Preston simply couldn't match.

This meant that, heading into the final few minutes of the game, Hull had raced into a commanding 3-0 lead and put the game out of sight.

But, never to be forgotten, Osmajic was hell-bent on placing himself firmly into the spotlight merely four games after his return from the previous ban.

In the 95th minute, Osmajic loaded up a headbutt on Hull midfielder John Lundstram following a scuffle, for which he was rightly shown a straight red card that was met with a somewhat maniacal laugh as he trudged off the field.

Milutin 'The Menace' Osmajic

That red card places another three-game ban on his record, taking his total matches suspended over the last two seasons to 20 games.

Preston manager Paul Heckingbottom has been very vocal about his anger and disappointment at the continued disgraceful conduct of his striker, stating, "It's a lack of discipline that is totally unacceptable… There’s a way to act as a professional footballer, regardless of if that’s a tackle on the pitch, discipline away from it, or on the training ground."

The worrying part is that each offence, if outside the remit of professional football, would likely be one that violates criminal law and possibly end in charges being upheld.

Meaning that, in many ways, Osmajic is lucky to be getting away with the match bans he is getting.

It's all well and good having a bit of bite on the football pitch, but Osmajic's conduct is going much further than that and needs to be got ahold of sooner rather than later, or who knows what he could be doing next.