Pascal Struijk’s red card at Stadium of Light overturned after wrongful dismissal appeal

Pascal Struijk’s red card from Brighton’s Premier League match against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Saturday 10 October has been overturned after a successful wrongful dismissal appeal, meaning the defender’s one-match suspension has been removed. An independent Regulatory Commission upheld the claim and moved the suspension, the club said.

The dismissal occurred after 57 minutes when Struijk was judged to have fouled Sunderland striker Wilson Isidor as Isidor chased a through ball. Neither referee Thomas Bramall nor his assistant initially signalled a foul, but VAR Neil Davies called the on-field official to review the incident on the pitchside monitor.

After the pitchside review Bramall issued a straight red card, concluding that Struijk had denied an obvious goal-scoring opportunity; the Premier League’s statement read: “After VAR review, the referee issued a red card to Struijk for denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity (DOGSO). “REF: ‘After review, there is a foul by Brighton No.4, which denies Sunderland a goal-scoring opportunity. The final decision is a red card and a direct free-kick.'”

Brighton players reacted with surprise to the original decision, and the club subsequently filed a wrongful dismissal claim that was considered by an independent Regulatory Commission. The club’s statement said: “An independent Regulatory Commission has upheld a claim of wrongful dismissal in relation to Pascal Struijk and moved his one-match suspension,” and added: “The Brighton & Hove Albion defender was sent off during the Premier League fixture against Sunderland on Saturday 10 October for denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity.”

As a result of the commission’s finding, Struijk will not serve a one-match suspension for the red card. That reinstatement restores his availability for Brighton for the next scheduled league selection.

Struijk had made his second Premier League start for Brighton after his transfer from Leeds United for £20 million in the summer. Brighton completed the match at the Stadium of Light with a 2-0 victory over Sunderland, continuing their impressive start to the season despite the temporary dismissal.

The overturn means Struijk is eligible to play in Brighton’s upcoming Premier League fixture against Crystal Palace this weekend.