Pascal Struijk’s ban has been upheld after Leeds United appealed against his red card at the weekend.
The defender was sent off after a controversial tackle that left Harvey Elliott with a dislocated ankle, and while he was shown a red card at Elland Road, the tackle has sparked a lot of debate.
Some believe that due to the fact it was a genuine attempt to play the ball, he shouldn’t have been reprimanded in this way, while others believe that the severity of the injury he inflicted meant that he should have been banned.
The FA have sided with the referee’s on-field decision, but interestingly, Elliott, who was on the receiving end of the challenge, has spoken out about this decision.
Elliott clearly feels as though Struijk shouldn’t have been banned, and to be honest, he’s got a point.
The teenager knows better than anyone what the challenge was like, and he doesn’t believe that the Leeds man should be suspended for what was an honest tackle and an unfortunate accident.
Sadly, the FA don’t see things the same way and Leeds will be without the centre-half for the next three games.
This comment is a great showing of sportsmanship from Elliott, and it’s a real shame that the powers that be haven’t taken his view into account.
Elliott’s injury was horrific, but it sounds as though he feels it wasn’t the result of a dangerous challenge.
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