Zlatan Ibrahimovic was sent off for Milan in their 3-1 victory over Parma on Saturday for insulting referee Fabio Maresca.
With the Rossoneri leading 2-0 after the hour mark, the veteran striker was sent off as he confronted the official.
It is not clear what Ibrahimovic said, but the referee went straight for the red card without a yellow warning first.
It is not the first time referee Maresca has clashed with someone high-profile. In January, Inter boss Antonio Conte was handed a two-match ban for confronting him.
Ibrahimovic’s red, which was his fourth for Milan, was remarkably his first Serie A dismissal in 3353 days due to his nine-year spell out of Italian football.
The 39-year-old’s dismissal did little to change the impact of the result, however, as Milan ran out comfortable 3-1 victors.
Stefano Pioli’s side have now closed the gap to fierce rivals Inter to eight points, though they face Cagliari on Sunday at 11am.
However, there was good news for Ibrahimovic, with his club set to tie him to a new contract until 2022.
“There are only small details missing and, therefore, we are very close to the renewal,” technical director Paolo Maldini told Sky Italia.
Ibrahimovic will be 40 in October and will reportedly earn around £114,000-a-week.
©talkSPORT