Gary Lineker is right. There seems no point even appealing against a red card any more because unless you have evidence to prove mistaken identity or something similar the Football Association’s independent regulatory commission is simply going to back the referee’s decision.
“Utterly pointless,” Lineker tweeted after Leicester’s Jamie Vardy was told he must serve a three-match ban. Going into the appeal, the striker appeared to have a strong case. The tackle on Stoke’s Mame Biram Diouf was not especially bone-jarring and the ball was clearly won first. That no longer matters if the challenge itself is out of control and dangerous – touching leather before flesh is rightly no longer allowed to legitimise a reckless follow-through into an opponent – though none of that applied to the incident at the Bet365 Stadium.
Related: Claudio Ranieri denies stoking Leicester fans’ anger towards referee
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