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Maik Taylor loses appeal

last updated Wednesday 12th March 2003, 6:06 PM
Fulham keeper Maik Taylor
Fulham keeper has to serve a one match suspension
Maik Taylor Stories
Fulham face a goalkeeping crisis for Saturday's Barclaycard Premiership clash with Southampton after Maik Taylor lost his appeal against a red card.

The Northern Ireland international was sent off for fouling Simon Davies in the 1-1 draw at Tottenham on February 24 .

He appealed and the Football Association referred the matter to their video review panel.

The group decided there could have been a case for wrongful dismissal - but an FA hearing at Soho Square upheld referee Graham Barber's verdict on Taylor's red card.

With Fulham's number one keeper Edwin van der Sar out for another month with a broken foot, third-choice Martin Herrera will be thrown in for his full debut against the Saints at Loftus Road.

The 32-year-old Argentinian's only taste of first-team football since his free transfer from Spanish side Alaves last summer was a 51-minute run-out at White Hart Lane after Taylor was sent off.

Fulham third-choice keeper Martin Herrera
Fulham third-choice keeper Martin Herrera has to face Southampton
FA spokesman Andrin Cooper said: "Footage of the incident was looked at by the video advisory panel, who felt there may have been a case for wrongful dismissal.

"But Taylor's appeal, heard today by a three-man commission, failed. So he will serve a one-match with immediate effect."

The FA verdict halts Taylor's first run of regular action for 18 months.

He dropped to second choice when van der Sar signed for £7million in August 2001, but had held the first-team jersey since the former Juventus shot-stopper broke his foot just before Christmas.

Bruce Langham, Fulham FC CEO, said:

"We are exceedingly disappointed and angered by this decision which we feel that, given the video evidence, is clearly unfair on both the player and the Club. It would seem that the only people to examine this video and to come to the conclusion that it was a fair decision are Mr. Barber and the members of the disciplinary commission at The F.A.

Unfortunately there is no appeal process that we can embark on at this stage and consequently we are forced to accept that we will be without Maik Taylor for the requisite one match ban."
Source Sporting Life
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