Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s red card in Paris Saint-Germain’s elimination of Chelsea in the Champions League will not be overturned, according to a media report quoting a UEFA official.
The European football’s organising body will meet next Thursday to discuss whether or not to extend an automatic one-match suspension for the dismissal.
PSG coach, Laurent Blanc, and Chelsea manager, Jose Mourinho, said they hoped the red card would be overturned.
UEFA’s disciplinary committee reviews all red cards to consider extending an automatic one-match ban. But a UEFA official was quoted by Sky Sports News on Thursday as saying there was “no chance” of the red card being overturned. Red cards are usually only overturned in cases of mistaken identity.
Ibrahimovic was sent off for a late challenge on Oscar after 31 minutes when Wednesday’s last-16 second-leg game was scoreless. PSG advanced on the away-goals rule after the match finished 2-2 after extra-time and 3-3 on aggregate.
Blanc said in post-match comments the club would be discussing the possibility of an appeal. “There will be a committee that will convene to talk about the decision and I hope he will be in our party for the quarter-final,” he said.
Mourinho suggested UEFA should instead ban PSG’s former Chelsea defender, David Luiz, for allegedly elbowing Diego Costa off the ball in the first half.
“Maybe they can do what is fair by the disciplinary point of view and suspend David and take the red card from Ibra (Ibrahimovic) and let Ibra play the quarter-finals,” he said.