Son to miss matches against Brighton, Norwich and Southampton over festive period
Wednesday 25 December 2019 07:44, UK
Tottenham have failed with their appeal against Heung-Min Son's red card received in Sunday's 2-0 defeat to Chelsea.
The South Korean was dismissed in the second half of Sunday's loss at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium when VAR showed him kicking out at Antonio Rudiger in retaliation to being fouled.
The FA's decision to uphold the red card means the attacking midfielder will miss Spurs' next three matches against Brighton (Boxing Day), Norwich (Saturday), and Southampton (New Year's Day).
During the game, referee Anthony Taylor opted not to penalise Son for the challenge on Chelsea defender Rudiger but VAR official Paul Tierney decided differently and advised Taylor to issue a red card.
It was the third red card for Son of 2019 as he was also sent off for pushing Jefferson Lerma at Bournemouth last season, then for a tackle on Everton's Andre Gomes in November that broke the midfielder's ankle.
Spurs also appealed against both dismissals, winning the latter.
Tottenham head coach Jose Mourinho believes Rudiger should be the one under scrutiny for his role in the incident - not Son.
He sarcastically wished Rudiger well in his recovery from "broken ribs" after the game and added that the German's over-the-top reaction should be in focus.
But Chelsea boss Frank Lampard mounted a strong defence of Rudiger, who alleged he was the subject of monkey chants during the game, in the face of criticism from Mourinho over Son's red card
"With Toni, in this incident when he's having to post after the game about something we know is a huge deal [racism], I think to question his integrity in that time is disappointing for sure," said Lampard.
"Pretty universally, certainly what I heard in the commentary and the post-match reflection was that the Son incident was a red card. It wasn't brutal but it was instinctive that warrants a red card in the modern day."
