BRISBANE Roar will risk losing key striker Besart Berisha for multiple matches if they brazenly bid to have his latest red card rescinded.

Roar coach Mike Mulvey on Saturday remained adamant that Berisha was wrongly sent off in Brisbane’s 2-1 win over Melbourne Heart at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night.

The fiery Albanian inter­national became the first player to be dismissed three times in an A-League season when referee Chris Beath issued him a straight red card in the 49th minute for his challenge on Heart goalkeeper Tando Velaphi.

News_Rich_Media: Full replay of Brisbane Roar's clash with Melbourne Heart at Suncorp Stadium.

While Berisha initially made contact with the ball, his boot also collected the face of Velaphi.

“I think sanity will prevail in this instance and I think they’ll review the situation and it’ll be seen as a mistake,” Mulvey said in believing the match review panel will ­expunge the dismissal.

However, the Roar’s belief that an “obvious error” had been made by Beath won’t hold sway as the challenge at the very least deserved a yellow card, despite the wide acceptance that there was no malice in the foul.

Under A-League disciplinary regulations, the mandatory ban Berisha will receive is one match as only two of his three red cards have been direct.

News_Rich_Media: Brisbane Roar's coach Mike Mulvey speaks to the media following his side's 2-1 win over Melbourne Heart.

His first dismissal, in Brisbane’s 0-0 draw with Perth Glory in January, came via two yellow cards.

If the Roar submit an “obvious error” application for Berisha’s latest send-off and it is deemed “frivolous” by the MRP, Berisha will receive an additional one-game ban.

The only way Brisbane can appeal the length of a ban is if the MRP, which will meet on Monday, decide Berisha ­deserves more than the mandatory suspension length.

News_Rich_Media: After sealing the minor premiership last week Brisbane Roar take on Melbourne Heart at Suncorp Stadium.

As it currently stands, the A-League’s most feared striker will miss Brisbane’s clash with Western Sydney Wanderers on Saturday night.

Provided Berisha cops only the mandatory ban, he will be available for the premiership-winning Roar’s final game of the regular season on April 12 against Central Coast Mariners at Suncorp Stadium.

Berisha was in tears on Friday night after his send-off, with Mulvey saying his leading marksman was full of “conflicting emotions”.

“He feels like he let the team down, he let me down, he was unjustly dealt with (but) the bottom line is we’re going to deal with it,” the Roar coach Mulvey said.

“He’s not a malicious person. He’s certainly not a dirty player. He’s a committed footballer.”

Roar goalkeeper Michael Theo echoed Mulvey’s sentiments.

“It’s the third time he’s been sent off, and I think he’s been unlucky on all three occasions,” said Theo, who ran the length of the field to comfort Berisha after Beath produced the red card.

“Besart was distressed. It was very unfortunate for him, and obviously Tando was down as well but he got straight up on his feet. I went across to see how he was and he said he was fine.

News_Image_File: Besart Berisha of the Roar is given a red card by referee Chris Beath.

“It wasn’t as if he stayed down and milked the situation, but the refs these days, they’re quick to put their hands in their pockets and unfortunately he’s got a split-second ­decision to make (the decisioncall).

“He (Beath) just saw the contact. There was no malice involved. He (Berisha) got the top of the ball and continued the upwards motion, so it didn’t look great, but again it was very unfortunate.”