Hearts have had their appeal against Stuart Findlay's red card, shown during the opening-day defeat to Aberdeen, rejected by the Scottish Football Association (SFA).
Incident at Pittodrie
The centre-back was shown a straight red card for denying Toyosi Olusanya a goal-scoring opportunity in the 92nd minute of Saturday's match at Pittodrie. The decision led to a penalty for Aberdeen, which Kevin Nisbet converted, securing a 2-1 win for the home side.
On Monday, Hearts released a statement expressing their dissatisfaction with the decision, claiming Findlay had attempted to play the ball and calling for a review by an independent panel. The club also referenced a “near identical incident” during Motherwell's 2-1 win over Hibs on Sunday, which resulted in a yellow card for midfielder Oscar Preistman.
SFA dismisses appeal
However, the SFA has confirmed that the appeal was rejected. A statement from the governing body read: "Claim Dismissed. Original sanction of a red card for A4 – Denying the opposing team or an opponent a goal or an obvious goal scoring opportunity as defined by Law 12, is re-imposed with immediate effect. Payment of the £650 Appeal Deposit to be made within 30 days."
A statement from Tynecastle added: "The club is disappointed to learn that our appeal against Stuart Findlay’s red card, awarded at Pittodrie on Saturday, has been dismissed. Stuart will now be suspended for Sunday's Premiership match against Dundee United. The club will be making no further comment."
