Everton is "surprised and disappointed" after a Football Association panel upheld Michael Keane's three-game red card suspension against Wolves, the Premier League club said on Friday. The centre-back was sent off for pulling the hair of Wolves' Tolu Arokodare in Wednesday's 1-1 draw following a VAR review.
Keane will miss Everton's FA Cup tie with Sunderland on Saturday and games against Aston Villa and Leeds. Speaking at a news conference shortly after the club's statement, manager David Moyes was "angry" with the three-person panel that reached the decision - and "embarrassed" for the VAR after referee Tom Kirk was instructed to review the incident.
The punishment is considered "excessive" by Everton, who lodged an appeal in support of Keane, a player known for playing with high ethical standards. The club believes the severity of the three-game suspension is "clearly excessive".
Hair-pulling is categorised as violent conduct but is not explicitly mentioned in the laws of the game. However, it cannot be considered something you would do naturally when challenging for the ball.
Keane's incident was compared to another incident during Thursday's Premier League match between Arsenal and Liverpool, where Gabriel Martinelli attempted to shove the injured Conor Bradley off the field. Moyes expressed his outrage over what he saw as a similar lack of action from the VAR in Keane's case.
Keane will miss Everton's FA Cup tie with Sunderland on Saturday and games against Aston Villa and Leeds. Speaking at a news conference shortly after the club's statement, manager David Moyes was "angry" with the three-person panel that reached the decision - and "embarrassed" for the VAR after referee Tom Kirk was instructed to review the incident.
The punishment is considered "excessive" by Everton, who lodged an appeal in support of Keane, a player known for playing with high ethical standards. The club believes the severity of the three-game suspension is "clearly excessive".
Hair-pulling is categorised as violent conduct but is not explicitly mentioned in the laws of the game. However, it cannot be considered something you would do naturally when challenging for the ball.
Keane's incident was compared to another incident during Thursday's Premier League match between Arsenal and Liverpool, where Gabriel Martinelli attempted to shove the injured Conor Bradley off the field. Moyes expressed his outrage over what he saw as a similar lack of action from the VAR in Keane's case.
michael keane is such a good guy and this three game suspension is just WILD! i mean hair-pulling isn't exactly the most serious thing ever, especially when you're going for the ball and stuff. david moyes is totally right to be angry tho, that var review should've caught that moment where tolu arako dare gets pulled and not let keane get sent off in the first place! 
the fact that it's three games is just excessive imo...keane has always been known for being super sportsmanlike so this feels like a total overreaction. i'm all for fair play but come on, guys! 
. I mean, yeah, hair-pulling isn't cool and all that, but three games? It's like they're trying to break him 
. I get why Everton's upset, especially since he's a player known for being on the right side of things. And can we talk about the VAR? 
.
that hair-pulling thing is so not a big deal anymore. everyone does it when they're trying to get under their opponent's skin and its not like he meant to hurt tolu or anything. david moyes needs to chill out, 3 games is pretty standard for something like this. maybe the fa panel just wanted an excuse to give keane some extra rest lol 
. i feel bad for keane, he's a respected player and always conducts himself well on the pitch. but at the same time, you cant just pull someone's hair and expect to get away with it 
. i think 3 games is way too harsh, keane will be missing some big matches 
. david moyes has a point about the var not doing enough, it feels like they're more interested in punishing the players than actually helping the game 
. anyway, lets just hope keane stays calm and doesnt let this get to him 
he was totally innocent in that situation, hair-pulling is just something u do when u r goin for a tackle u dont think its violent conduct lol. the var system is so flawed now, i mean i get it they gotta enforce the rules but 3 games?? that's harsh 
u just dont pull someones hair ur outta there lol. i hope they review this decision again or keane will be lost for 3 games 
. I mean, hair-pulling is pretty clearly a violent conduct thing, right? 
. The VAR did the right thing in this case.
. Newsflash: if you pull someone's hair, you're going down 
️. And btw, the FA didn't exactly get slammed on this one either... 
on the other hand, it is really excessive, even for a top league like the Premier League. David Moyes can be mad at the VAR, but maybe he should calm down and think about why they made that call in the first place? 
... Anyway, I hope the FA reviews this again and reduces the sentence or something! 
anyway, keane's gonna miss some big games now and i'm hopin the league will review this decision cuz 3 games feels like a bit too harsh 
. He's always been one of the cleanest players on the pitch 
. David Moyes is right to be upset, too - that VAR review was a joke 
That's just as bad as what Keane did and yet it doesn't even get a mention from the VAR? It's all just a joke at this point. 
This whole thing feels like a big mess.