Queen’s Park Rangers midfielder Shaun Derry has blasted the Football Association as “ridiculous” after his red card against Manchester United was upheld.
Derry was sent off on Sunday for tripping Ashley Young in the penalty area but he hoped his suspension would be overturned as the United player had been offside.
“I thought it was a foregone conclusion that it would be overturned and I would be available for last night (Wednesday’s win over Swansea). Everyone thought the FA would put it to bed that way,” Derry told a QPR phone-in.
“I lined up in the training session to play, then I got a call from our assistant manager Mark Bowen who said it had been turned down and I was absolutely gobsmacked. To miss out on the next game is ridiculous really.”
He added: “The email we got back from the FA was one line telling me my appeal had not been successful.
“That’s as far as the email went – there was no explanation as to why it was not overturned, or even any indication of why I got sent off in the first place. The whole scenario is quite bizarre really.
“It was the single highlight of my career to lead a Premier League side out at Old Trafford – perhaps the pinnacle of my career.
“So I was bitterly disappointed to say the least. It is a tough pill to swallow.”