Aston Villa are shocked and disappointed after the Football Association rejected their appeal against Jhon Durán’s red card, meaning the striker will serve a three-match ban.
The Colombian was given a straight red card by the referee, Anthony Taylor, after being adjudged to have intentionally stamped on the Newcastle defender Fabian Schär when the pair collided in the first half of Villa’s Boxing Day defeat.
Replays showed Durán appeared to lose his footing, rolling his left ankle before his right boot landed on Schär’s back. Durán was dismissed after 32 minutes, when Eddie Howe’s side led 1-0.
Unai Emery criticised the officials for the decision, which he said killed the game, with Newcastle storming to a 3-0 victory over 10-man opposition. The Villa manager has previously been an advocate for the use of video assistant referee technology and was perplexed by it not intervening at St James’ Park.
“The red card was clear for the referee straight away, he was the only person in the stadium who couldn’t take his time,” Emery said. “He has to be intelligent to take time and get the right decision.
“In this case you have to use the VAR. He has to be smart, and calm. It has to be like that.”
Emery suggested the 21-year-old Durán’s reputation as a hothead may have had an impact on the referee. “Yes, it’s clearly [because of] his reputation,” he said. “He [Durán] was saying ‘sorry’ to the player so quickly. It was not his intention to kick him.”
Durán, who has scored 12 goals in all competitions this season, including seven in the league, will miss matches against Brighton, Leicester and West Ham, the latter in the FA Cup third round. He has started Villa’s past three matches, with Emery preferring him to last season’s top goalscorer Ollie Watkins.
