The FA have informed Manchester United that their appeal to overturn Lisandro Martinez's three-game ban was rejected on the grounds that the incident did not constitute a clear and obvious error. Martinez received a straight red card in the home defeat to Leeds United after he pulled Dominic Calvert-Lewin's hair.
Michael Carrick was furious with the ruling, describing it as "one of the worst I've seen" before expressing that he is "worried" about the direction the sport is heading, if such an act warrants a red card. Unfortunately for the Reds' interim manager, upon further review, the FA has maintained that Martinez's actions warranted a straight red.
The Argentine was consequently forced to sit out of United's recent 1-0 away win at Chelsea. He will also miss the next two games, as the suspension remains unchanged, via the Manchester Evening News.
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United's appeal was dismissed by English soccer's governing body as the decision was not considered to be a clear and obvious error. The FA further stated it was not a case of excessive punishment, as hair-pulling is "not to be tolerated and should be discouraged."
Martinez will be absent for Monday's crucial game against Brentford and the eagerly anticipated derby against Liverpool, both of which are scheduled at Old Trafford. The South American will not return to the field for United until the away game against Sunderland on May 9.
Carrick has been forced to navigate a defensive crisis of late, following Harry Maguire's suspension, which stemmed from an additional ban handed down after he furiously contested his red card during the recent draw with AFC Bournemouth.
To compound matters, Matthijs de Ligt remains sidelined and is yet to feature under Carrick, while young center-back Leny Yoro recently sustained a training injury. As a result, Noussair Mazraoui and Ayden Heaven were deployed at center-back against the Blues.
Maguire is now set to return to the starting lineup following the conclusion of his ban. Prior to last week's game with Chelsea, Carrick confirmed the club had been informed that Martinez would be required to serve his ban in full across three matches.
A visibly frustrated Carrick said: "We didn't agree with [the decision], it's obvious how I felt after the game, and I still feel that way now. I don't want to go into it now, it is what it is. We have to accept it and move on."
Pressed further on Maguire's suspension, he added: "To be honest, there's not much to react to. I'm disappointed, of course. We've had a few reasons to be disappointed over the last few weeks. We have to move on because the decision has been made."
Given the commanding performances of Heaven and Mazraoui at Stamford Bridge, where the pair kept a clean sheet, Carrick may have fewer concerns than expected. The United boss remarked: "I thought Ayden Heaven and Noussair Mazraoui coming in were incredible.
"Ayden being such a young age and Noussair not really playing center back in a back four. I have to give the coaching staff a lot of credit on getting the boys ready for that. I thought the boys put a magnificent performance in tonight."