Huth out in the cold as appeal is rejected

Stoke City`s appeal to overturn the red card given to central defender Robert Huth has been rejected by the F.A.

The 26-year-old will now serve a 3 match suspension, which will mean he will miss the Premier League games against Fulham (Away) and Swansea (Home) plus the F.A. Cup 5th Round tie against League 2 leaders, Crawley Town (Away).

Huth was given a straight red card by referee Martin Atkinson in Stoke`s 1-0 home defeat to Sunderland after a challenge on central midfielder David Meyler.

Stoke used both video and photographic evidence to try and overturn the decision, but an independent regulatory commission rejected the appeal.

The commission did not decide to extend the ban by a game. It did have the right to if it thought the appeal was frivolous.

Stoke chairman Peter Coates is very disappointed at the decision and believes the system for appeals needs changing.

Coates told The Sentinel: “We are disappointed by the decision. There is absolutely no reason Huth should have been sent off.

“He did everything the authorities are asking players to do.

“I haven`t seen or heard an independent observer who thought it was a red card.

“Referees do make mistakes and nobody blames them for that, but we need a system that redresses that.”

After Tony Pulis had spoken out about the reaction of David Meyler, his manager Martin O`Neill jumped to the Irishmen`s defence.

O`Neill told the Irish Times: “This idea that Meyler feigned an injury ? I`m sorry, I know David and David is as brave as they come. He has had two horrendous injuries himself that he is just recovering from, so from that viewpoint I think Tony [Pulis] is wrong.

“His general viewpoint about players having responsibility themselves to stop play-acting, I totally agree with that point, but not in this case with David Meyler.”