Key Takeaways
- Lisandro Martínez’s appeal fails; three-game ban stands.
- Panel says hair-pulling must be discouraged to protect football’s image.
- Martínez will miss league games against Brentford and Liverpool.
Manchester United centre-back Lisandro Martínez must sit out the next three domestic matches after an independent Football Association panel upheld his red card for pulling Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hair.
The incident happened late in United’s 2-1 home defeat to Leeds. Referee Paul Tierney checked the pitch-side monitor, saw Martínez grab the striker’s hair off the ball, and produced a straight red for violent conduct.
United contested the decision, arguing Martínez was off balance and the contact was minimal. The commission disagreed. In its written reasons it said: “Hair-pulling should not be tolerated. Consistent punishment is needed to discourage it.”
Members also noted Calvert-Lewin told the referee he felt force on his scalp, and video angles showed the Leeds forward’s head snap back. Because the reaction looked genuine, the panel ruled Tierney had not made a “clear and obvious error”.
Martínez, 28, has already missed the win at Chelsea and will also be absent against Brentford on 27 April and Liverpool on 3 May.
Although the Laws of the Game do not list hair-pulling, officials class it as violent conduct because it is not a fair challenge for the ball. United boss Michael Carrick earlier called the dismissal “one of the worst decisions” he had seen, but the FA stressed bans will only be overturned in “truly exceptional” cases.
A separate Premier League review panel voted 4-1 that the red card was correct.