EPL: Tribunal turns down West Ham appeal over Carroll red

LONDON - West Ham United striker Andy Carroll's three-match suspension for a red card in a Premier League match at the weekend was upheld by an arbitration panel on Friday (Saturday, PHL time), the English FA said.

The Hammers were granted arbitration after the FA rejected their appeal against the suspension for Carroll's dismissal in the 2-0 home win over Swansea City on Saturday.

"The Independent Tribunal resolved that there was no serious issue to be tried and also awarded The FA its costs," the FA said in a statement.

Referee Howard Webb sent Carroll off after he clashed with Swansea defender Chico Flores in the teams' relegation tussle at Upton Park.

West Ham said Carroll caught Flores by accident with his arm and even threatened legal action after the initial appeal was rejected.

"Whilst West Ham United are obviously disappointed at the decision, as we have made clear throughout, we respect the rules of football and shall abide by them," the club said in a statement on their website (www.whufc.com).

Carroll will now miss West Ham's Premier League match at Aston Villa on Saturday (Sunday, PHL time) as well as home games against Norwich City and Southampton.

West Ham co-chairman David Gold said on Thursday that the ban could affect West Ham's chances of avoiding relegation.

West Ham is 18th in the standings, just inside the relegation zone, with 22 points from 24 matches while Swansea is two points above them in 12th, having  sacked manager Michael Laudrup. - Reuters