Leicester City to appeal against Jamie Vardy red card

Posted Tuesday, December 20, 2016 by theguardian.com

Leicester City to appeal against Jamie Vardy red card
The referee Craig PAwson shows Jamie Vardy the red caed at the Bet365 Stadium.

Leicester City will appeal against Jamie Vardy’s red card after the striker was sent off during Saturday’s match with Stoke City.

The 29-year-old was dismissed in the first half of the 2-2 draw after Craig Pawson ruled he had fouled Mame Diouf.

Replays suggested Vardy was knocked off balance by Glen Johnson just before making the tackle on Diouf and Leicester will make their case to the Football Association.

Claudio Ranieri was unhappy with Pawson’s first-half performance and confronted the official on the pitch at half-time but the manager is unlikely to face any punishment.

If Leicester fail in their appeal Vardy will miss Boxing Day’s visit of Everton, the home game with West Ham on New Year’s Eve and a trip to Middlesbrough on 2 January.

It was the England striker’s second red of the year after he was sent off in last season’s 2-2 draw with West Ham United in April, with the Stoke manager, Mark Hughes, claiming Vardy was “out of control” when he made the tackle.

Ranieri suggested the club would appeal after the game and felt the challenge warranted only a yellow card.

The Foxes face a fine from the FA for having six or more players shown yellow cards in the match at the Britannia Stadium. Robert Huth and Christian Fuchs were booked to collect their fifth cautions of the season and will miss the game against Everton.

Leicester recovered from 2-0 down with 10 men to earn a 2-2 draw after Leonardo Ulloa and Daniel Amartey scored in the final 16 minutes.

It was their second away point of the season with Ranieri’s side yet to win on the road in the Premier League and the defending champions 15th in the table.