By Kunle Mudasiru
Manchester United have won an appeal against Bruno Fernandes’ red card issued against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
Fernandes has now had his three-game suspension lifted after the Football Association (FA) upheld a claim of “wrongful dismissal”.
The United captain was shown a straight red card for serious foul play after tripping James Maddison with a knee-high tackle three minutes before half-time in the 3-0 defeat at Old Trafford.
The club’s successful appeal means that Fernandes is available for United’s upcoming Premier League games against Aston Villa, Brentford and West Ham United.
Speaking to BBC Sport after the game, Fernandes claimed the tackle was a “clear foul” but “never a red card”.
“I agree that it is a foul,” he said. “The referee tried to tell me that as he saw it was a clear contact with the studs, no. I didn’t touch him with the studs or even the foot, it was my ankle. It is a clear foul.
“If he wants to give me a yellow because they are going to go on a counter then I agree. But more than that, no. It is not the case.”
The Premier League said the incident was checked by VAR Peter Bankes and confirmed the referee’s call of serious foul play, which carries a one-match suspension.
The Football Association (FA) Handbook says a player is guilty of serious foul play if “he uses excessive force or brutality against an opponent when challenging for the ball when it is in play” or “a tackle that endangers the safety of an opponent must be sanctioned as serious foul play”.
“Any player who lunges at an opponent in challenging for the ball from the front, from the side or from behind using one or both legs, with excessive force and endangering the safety of an opponent is guilty of serious foul play,” it adds.
Defeat to Spurs leaves United 13th on the table having earned just seven points from their opening six games.
