Everton has expressed surprise and disappointment following the rejection of their appeal against defender Michael Keane’s red card in the match against Wolves by a Football Association panel.
In a statement released on Friday, the Premier League club argued that Keane’s three-match suspension “is clearly excessive.”
The 32-year-old center-back was sent off for pulling the hair of Wolves’ Tolu Arokodare during Wednesday’s 1-1 draw after a review by the video assistant referee (VAR).
As a result, Keane will miss Everton’s FA Cup match against Sunderland on Saturday, as well as Premier League fixtures against Aston Villa and Leeds.
During a press conference shortly after the club’s statement, Everton manager David Moyes expressed his “anger” towards the three-member FA panel that made the decision, and he felt “embarrassed” for the VAR after on-field referee Tom Kirk was prompted to review the incident.
Moyes also referred to an incident from Thursday’s Premier League game between Arsenal and Liverpool, where Gabriel Martinelli attempted to push the injured Conor Bradley off the field.
He stated: “I’m hugely disappointed and surprised. I’m probably more angry with the panel who thought this was justified. I have to question the three of them. I know who they are, and I’m astonished they didn’t overturn it.
“We saw last night that it’s acceptable to throw a ball at someone or to push someone who is injured. But a slight pull of someone’s hair, even if accidental, resulting in a three-game ban is quite extraordinary to me.”
Regarding the punishment’s severity, Moyes added: “Three games for something that shouldn’t have warranted any suspension at all. I feel more embarrassed for whoever was on VAR. This is a young referee in just his third or fourth game, and VAR led him to make a poor decision. They shouldn’t have intervened at all.
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“I’m embarrassed for them, looking for the smallest infractions. I don’t think anyone would have cared about it if it hadn’t been highlighted.”
While hair-pulling is not explicitly mentioned in the laws of the game, it falls under the category of violent conduct because it is not considered a natural action when contesting the ball.
Everton stated: “We appealed firmly believing that the incident did not meet the criteria for violent conduct as defined in the rules, and that the action was neither forceful nor intentional.
“Our appeal was also made in support of Michael Keane, a player who upholds the highest ethical standards and who had never been sent off for violent conduct prior to Wednesday.
“We firmly believe that the three-game suspension is excessively harsh, and we are surprised and disappointed that this aspect of our appeal was also dismissed.”
