Crystal Palace have appealed Jean-Philippe Mateta’s red card from Saturday’s defeat by Tottenham, giving the club hope of avoiding or reducing the striker’s expected three-match suspension.
Mateta was dismissed after 13 minutes, when his late challenge caught Micky van de Ven on the ankle with the score still level. Referee Michael Oliver initially showed a yellow card before changing the decision following a VAR review.
Palace’s position is that the contact was accidental. Mateta is understood to believe he was focused on the ball and did not see the Tottenham defender before making the challenge.
The appeal comes at a difficult point for Palace, who sit in the Premier League’s bottom three with seven points. Their next match is against Liverpool, a fixture that could carry significance for manager Pierre Sage after a disappointing beginning to his time in charge.
Palace will now wait for the outcome of their challenge as they seek clarity over Mateta’s availability for the matches ahead.
