Why Was Michael Keane’s Red Card Appeal Rejected? David Moyes & Everton Left Furious

Saikat Sengupta

Published - Jan 10, 2026, 09:15 AM

3 min

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Why Was Michael Keane’s Red Card Appeal Rejected? David Moyes & Everton Left Furious

Summary

Michael Keane will miss three games against Sunderland, Aston Villa & Leeds United.
Jack Grealish salvaged an equaliser and a point in the dying minutes against Wolves
Everton's appeal to the FA to overturn the red card was rejected.

As the air grows thicker in Liverpool, everything doesn't seem to be good at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. Despite Jack Grealish pulling out an important equaliser with ten men in the last minute of regulation time, head coach David Moyes seems to be unhappy with how Michael Keane's red card appeal was dealt.

Everton were trailing by a goal against Wolverhampton Wanderers, the same side that didn't win a single game this season, before the onset of the new year. With Everton already a goal down, things became even worse after the referee showed a red card to former Burnley centre-back Michael Keane, who was accused of pulling the hair of an opposition player.

FA Rejects Everton’s Appeal as Michael Keane Faces Suspension

Everton, post the incident, went onto lodged an official appeal, demanding further scrutiny and review. However, the appeal was formally rejected by FA, which meant the red card stands. Keane is all set to miss Everton's next FA Cup game against Sunderland. Also, he will further miss Everton's Premier League games against Leeds United and Aston Villa.

However, what made David Moyes even more frustrated was the fact of how it was handled publicly. Moyes, the man who is unarguably one of the longest-serving managers in Premier League history and someone who led them to FA Cup Finals and top four finishes, felt that the statement from the club was not necessary.

He feels that releasing a public statement confirming that the appeal was unsuccessful puts additional pressure on the player and also lowers the morale of the team.

Why Did FA Reject Everton's Appeal?

Under FA rules and regulations, a red card appeal can be overturned only if there is a clear and obvious refereeing error or the decision is proven to be wrong. In the case of Keane, the FA found out that the decision was well within the ambit of the laws of the game. VAR also further reviewed the incident, and there was no sufficient evidence to change the decision.