Everton have expressed surprise and disappointment after the Football Association rejected their appeal against Michael Keane's red card for pulling the hair of Wolves striker Tolu Arokodare.
The club argued that the defender's actions did not constitute violent conduct, claiming the incident was neither forceful nor intentional. Keane will now serve a three-match suspension, ruling him out of Saturday's FA Cup tie against Sunderland and Premier League meetings with Aston Villa and Leeds.
In a statement, Everton said they appealed "in the firm belief" the incident did not meet the threshold for violent conduct. They also defended Keane's character, noting he had never previously been dismissed for violent conduct and had always played with "the highest ethical standards". The club described the three-game ban as "clearly excessive".
Manager David Moyes criticised the role of VAR official Chris Kavanagh in the dismissal, calling it "embarrassing". He pointed to inconsistencies, including a challenge by Wolves' Hwang Hee-chan on Harrison Armstrong that went unpunished, and an incident involving Arsenal's Gabriel Martinelli throwing a ball at Liverpool defender Conor Bradley.
Moyes said the system was "in a difficult position" and that "a little pull of someone's hair accidentally" resulting in a three-game ban was "extraordinary" given other incidents were overlooked. Everton will also be without Jack Grealish for the Sunderland match after he was sent off for two bookings in the 1-1 draw with Wolves.
