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Johannes Hoff Thorup replaced David Wagner as Norwich head coach before this season Norwich City head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup has criticised the timing of Kenny Mc Lean's latest four-match ban, after hearing the news hours before the start of Tuesday's Championship game at Portsmouth. Thorup said the club were told their captain was out of the game at 15: 00 GMT on Tuesday after the Football Association (FA) confirmed the 32-year-old had been given a retrospective suspension following Saturday's defeat by Queens Park Rangers. The Canaries captain was given a violent conduct charge for an incident that was not reported by the match officials at the time, which was then upheld by an independent commission. As it was Mc Lean's second three-game suspension of the season, the usual ban was increased to four. "I'm very surprised by it because it opens up a window for a completely different competition, " Thorup told BBC Radio Norfolk following his side's goalless draw with Pompey. Norwich captain Mc Lean gets second four-match ban Portsmouth out of bottom three after Norwich draw The 35-year-old Dane added: "The FA have decided this is the way they want to go. "They have opened a door where they can go back in time and take decisions like that and even on gamedays they can present the news to the teams. It's a completely different world to us. "Everyone was [surprised] but I can't go into details - Big Brother is watching and that's how it is. " Norwich will now be without Mc Lean for Sunday's visit of Burnley, a trip to Sunderland on 21 December and the home game against Millwall on 26 December. He will be available for the return with QPR on 29 December. Losing Mc Lean forced Thorup into changing his plans for Fratton Park with Chilean Marcelino Nunez brought in to the side - something the Norwich boss said was "not ideal". "I don't think I'm giving away too much of our preparation to say Kenny was part of it, " Thorup said. "But at three o'clock we needed to change that and change the line-up and bring a player - Marcelino - on to the pitch, which was not ideal for us because he's had an injury and it's not ideal for him to play another game so close to Saturday. "But that's the way it is. It's not the way I'm used to working. It's a new world to me and I just have to accept it. "I think it's a surprise to everyone working with professional footballers in a professional environment that things like this can happen. " Latest Norwich City news and analysis Listen to BBC Radio Norfolk's The Scrimmage podcast Comments can not be loaded To load Comments you need to enable Java Script in your browser South Africa start well against England, who lose Cross to injury Arsenal & Man City in Champions League action, plus Saudi Arabia to be World Cup hosts Alonso 'still dreaming' of third world title Award-winning Outnumbered returns this Christmas The Brockmans are back for a festive special - here's your first look The winner of the Booker Prize 2024 A team of astronauts in the International Space Station contemplate the world below The downfall of Captain Tom's fundraising family BBC News investigates the extraordinary rise and fall of the Captain Tom Foundation A bitter feud between two Glaswegian crime families Livvy Haydock investigates the fight of the Daniels and the Lyons, which has been raging for decades Alonso 'still dreaming' of third world title 'The club should be equal' - what's going on with Man Utd Women? Inside Monaco's academy - where future stars are forged Key questions behind Fifa's controversial Saudi World Cup decision Has the Russell row made Verstappen to Mercedes in 2026 less likely? In Pictures: Sporting photos of the week How move to Atalanta transformed Lookman's career. Video How move to Atalanta transformed Lookman's career 'Promised change, but Juventus are back in crisis' 'Scheffler makes points while impressing Woods with Tiger feats' When River Plate icon Diaz took over fourth-tier Oxford Why Raducanu is giving herself a 'pat on the back' for 2024 Did Ashworth pay price for Man Utd mediocrity? Hamilton to Ferrari and what else to look out for in 2025 Who are the World Sport Star of the Year contenders? © 2024 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.