Bruno Fernandes wins red card appeal: Why Man United captain was sent off vs. Spurs and when he will be back

Joe Wright

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Bruno Fernandes wins red card appeal: Why Man United captain was sent off vs. Spurs and when he will be back image

Things might look pretty bleak for Manchester United right now, but there was at least some good news on October 1.

Club captain Bruno Fernandes succeeded in his appeal to have his red card in Sunday's defeat to Tottenham rescinded. The Football Association (FA) confirmed that it would be upholding the Portugal international's claim of wrongful dismissal.

The decision means that Fernandes will not face a three-match ban, which would have automatically applied to a red card issued for serious foul play. He will instead be free to play in United's next Premier League game, against Aston Villa on October 6.

So, why was Fernandes' dismissal overturned, and when will he next play? The Sporting News explains.

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Why was Bruno Fernandes sent off against Tottenham?

Fernandes was shown a straight red card in the 42nd minute of the Premier League match against Spurs at Old Trafford on September 29. The visitors were leading 1-0 at the time and went on to claim a comfortable 3-0 victory.

Referee Chris Kavanagh sent off Fernandes for what he deemed to be serious foul play after the United captain caught Spurs' James Maddison with a raised boot. Fernandes had gone to close down Maddison but, as his opponent turned into space, the Portuguese slipped on the wet turf. He then stuck out his right foot while off balance in an apparent attempt to tackle Maddison cleanly, but he caught the England midfielder on his shin with the sole of his boot.

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Kavanagh decided, and VAR agreed, that Fernandes' challenge was dangerous and warranted a dismissal. However, others — Fernandes among them — argued that the tackle was not worthy of a red card.

"I agree it's a foul but it's never a red card," he said. "The referee tried to tell me that as he saw it, 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." Fernandes also claimed that Maddison himself felt the decision was harsh.

Why was Bruno Fernandes' red card overturned?

United appealed to the FA to have Fernandes' red card rescinded, and the governing body upheld his claim of wrongful dismissal.

While the FA did not immediately disclose any specifics behind the decision, it appears it accepted Fernandes and the club's argument that the challenge did not constitute serious foul play.

When is Bruno Fernandes back?

Fernandes' next game would have been on Thursday, October 3 regardless of his red card against Spurs. United play Porto in the UEFA Europa League that day, and his three-game ban would not have applied to UEFA competition given it was received in a Premier League match.

He would have been suspended for the Red Devils' league games against Aston Villa (October 6), Brentford (October 19) and West Ham (October 27), but his successful appeal means he will now be eligible for those games.

Joe Wright

Joe Wright Photo

Joe is a Senior Editor at Sporting News. He was previously a sub editor and writer for Goal.com before spending six years as part of the Stats Perform editorial news service, covering major global sports including football, tennis, boxing, NBA, rugby union and athletics. Joe has reported live on some of the biggest games in football, including two UEFA Champions League finals, Euro 2016, the Confederations Cup 2017 and the 2018 World Cup final at the end of a month in Russia.