Wes Brown appeal upheld after Sunderland red card at Manchester United
Monday 2 March 2015 17:35, UK
The FA has announced an independent regulatory commission has upheld a claim of wrongful dismissal in relation to Sunderland defender Wes Brown.
Brown was dismissed by referee Roger East during Sunderland's 2-0 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity when Radamel Falcao was tripped inside the penalty area.
However, television replays showed it was Brown's team-mate John O'Shea who should have been sent off and Sunderland announced their intention to appeal on Sunday.
That appeal has now been upheld and Brown's one-match suspension has therefore been withdrawn with immediate effect and he will be free to face Hull City on Tuesday.
Referees' body the Professional Game Match Officials Limited released a statement after Saturday's match insisting it was not a case of mistaken identity and that East did in fact mean to send Brown off.
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East believed he saw contact from O'Shea and Brown on Falcao and sent off the latter as, in his view, Brown's foul had been the crucial one, the statement said.
Honesty
However, the independent regulatory commission convened by the FA has now cleared Brown of any wrongdoing.
Sunderland manager Gus Poyet said: "It's very important for me and for English football, the way everything has been dealt with, the effort from the club and the way we did it, the honesty of the referee and the Referees' Association.
"The rules, everybody has followed at the FA, so honesty has been at the top of this situation, which is great. It's great for football, so I am very pleased.
"The honesty of the referee, the honesty of the Referees' Association and the FA and the Premier League - in other situations, it would be a little bit awkward because when it's a mistaken identity, you have got two players involved, one who has done something and the other one who has been sent off.
"But like I said, it's good. It's the way I like. One of the best things in life - and football is part of our life - is to live by the rules and be honest."
Experience
Poyet will now have Brown and O'Shea availble at the KC Stadium and he admitted it will be vital to have two of his most experienced players in the line-up.
He added: "There are moments, certain games during the season, when you need your stronger players, your most experienced players, the leaders, and this is one of them, so having John and Wes is something very special for us.
"During the season, you know you are going to miss every now and then, one of them, but there are key moments. And in brings a little bit of calmness to everybody.
"Until a few minutes ago, we needed to know if he was coming with us or not because of the decision. Everything was planned for him to play tomorrow, so it makes things easier for me."
