Published on 23.08.2023
The card was initially issued by referee Thomas Bramall during a match against Bournemouth, following Mac Allister’s challenge on Ryan Christie.
The challenge resulted in a straight red card, and Mac Allister was facing a three-match suspension, which would have seen him miss games against Newcastle, Aston Villa, and Wolves. However, following the successful appeal, the ban has been overturned, allowing Mac Allister to play in the upcoming matches.
The Football Association (FA) has reversed the red card handed to Alexis Mac Allister in the Bournemouth match on Saturday, following a successful appeal by Liverpool against the midfielder’s three-match suspension.
During Liverpool’s 3-1 victory over Bournemouth at Anfield, Mac Allister received a direct red card from referee Thomas Bramall for a challenge on Ryan Christie just prior to the one-hour mark. At the time of the incident, Liverpool held a 2-1 lead.
Initially, the World Cup champion was slated to serve a three-match ban in upcoming fixtures against Newcastle, Aston Villa, and Wolves. However, this suspension has now been lifted.
The FA issued a statement through their spokesperson’s Twitter account, stating: “An independent regulatory commission has rescinded Alexis Mac Allister’s three-match suspension following a claim of mistaken dismissal.”
Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool’s manager, addressed the situation after the game on Saturday, expressing his view that “all elements necessary for a red card were absent.”
Speaking to Sky Sports, Klopp elaborated: “We need to have a discussion about this, and everyone is in agreement. I completely understand how it appeared to the referee in that split-second, but upon reviewing the incident, it’s clear that it was an inside-of-the-foot contact with minimal force.”
Klopp went on to highlight that there have been more severe challenges that haven’t been penalized with red cards, but should have been. He suggested that a dialogue about these decisions is necessary. Furthermore, he hypothesized that if the referee initially deemed it a yellow card offense, the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) wouldn’t have upgraded it to a red card.
