Zlatan Ibrahimovic was sent off for AC Milan in their 3-1 victory over Parma on Saturday for allegedly 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.
Despite the red, Milan coach Stefano Pioli has insisted Ibrahimovic did nothing wrong.
He said: "Zlatan told me that he argued with the referee and it lasted some time.
"He assured me that he did not disrespect him and above all he did not offend."
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.
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.
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