Manchester United have successfully appealed against the red card shown to Bruno Fernandes during their 3-0 defeat by Tottenham. The midfielder, who was sent off late in the first half, will be available for his side’s next three matches.
Fernandes was due to be suspended for a trio of Premier League fixtures against Aston Villa, Brentford and West Ham. However, Erik ten Hag will have his captain available for all three after United successfully appealed Chris Kavanagh’s decision to dismiss him for a challenge on James Maddison.
The 30-year-old caught Maddison high on the Spurs star’s shin but made contact with the side of his boot, rather than his studs. He had also slipped into the tackle on the rain-sodden Old Trafford turf.
An FA spokesperson said: “Bruno Fernandes will be available for Manchester United’s next three games following a successful claim of wrongful dismissal.
“The midfielder was sent off for serious foul play during the Premier League match against Tottenham on Sunday, September 29.”
Kavanagh immediately produced a red card for Fernandes’ challenge and his decision was confirmed by VAR. However, that decision has now been overturned upon appeal.
Fernandes volunteered to be interviewed by Sky Sports after the game – a rare move by a player who has been sent off. He revealed that Maddison told him his tackle should not have warranted a red card.
“I let my teammates down,” the Portugal international said. “I do appreciate everything they did on the pitch and obviously it was tough for them. We didn’t start the game well with 11 vs 11.
“Obviously nobody likes to be sent off and it’s not a good feeling seeing my teammates running a lot and trying a lot to get a result because that’s what they were trying to do.
“We ended up conceding another two goals but they tried everything. Part of slipping and going in, I didn’t go into the tackle with studs and I take him with my ankle.
“It’s a clear foul but never a red card and that’s my feeling. He [Maddison] said it was a foul but never a red card. I think on the eyes of everyone you can see it’s never a red card.
“If this is a red card, we have to look at many other incidents and I see many incidents of Onana getting kicked and I never see it so quickly coming as a red card. It’s never a red card.
“The contact is not that strong and if he wants to give a yellow because it’s a counter-attack, I agree, and then I don’t understand why VAR doesn’t call the referee to the screen.”