Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta will be out for three matches. This follows the club losing their appeal against his red card in Saturday’s Premier League loss to Tottenham Hotspur.
The French player was sent off by referee Michael Oliver for a late tackle on Tottenham’s Micky van de Ven. This happened just 13 minutes into the match, which was still goalless.
Oliver first showed Mateta a yellow card. But after checking with the Video Assistant Referee, he changed it to a straight red card.
Palace appealed the decision, claiming the contact was accidental. Sadly, their appeal did not succeed.
According to BBC Sport on Wednesday, the 29-year-old will miss the trip to Liverpool on Sunday. He will also sit out the away game against Coventry City on November 21 and the home match with Hull City on November 29.
Mateta insisted that he was focused on the ball and did not see Van de Ven before hitting the defender’s ankle.
Even with this suspension, Mateta can still play in Palace’s Europa League matches. He will be available for the game against Hoffenheim on Thursday and the match against Real Sociedad on November 26.
This absence comes at a tough time for Palace manager Pierre Sage. His job could be at risk due to the team’s poor start to the season.
The Eagles are currently in 18th place in the Premier League, with just seven points from nine matches.
Palace has also lost their last three league games. They have not scored any goals and let in nine during this stretch.
The loss to Tottenham and Mateta’s red card are big setbacks for Sage. He is trying to turn around the club’s league performance.
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