Former French international striker Djibril Cisse was suspended for four matches on Monday dealing a huge blow to his English Premier League side Queens Park Rangers’ hopes of retaining their elite status.

The 30-year-old – who arrived from Serie A side Lazio in January – received the ban for his straight red card for a vicious tackle on Sunderland’s Fraizer Campbell in Saturday’s 3-1 loss.

It is the second time that Cisse has been sent-off in the short spell he has been with the club, though, the former Liverpool and Auxerre star has also scored three times in five matches.

QPR – who sacked manager Neil Warnock earlier this season and replaced him with Mark Hughes who spent heavily in January – are third from bottom with just eight matches remaining.