Accident? Carroll catches the top of Chico Flores' head but the defender went down clutching his face



GAMES CARROLL WILL MISS

Feb 8: Aston Villa (A)

Feb 11: Norwich (H)

Feb 22: Southampton (H)

Referee Howard Webb showed Carroll a red card for catching Swansea defender Chico Flores across the face with his arm at Upton Park.



The Spaniard clutched his face and rolled on the ground, but replays showed that Carroll’s arm barely brushed the top of Flores’ head.

West Ham appealed against the decision on Monday morning in the hope of getting Carroll’s three-match ban overturned. But, as Sportsmail revealed on Tuesday, Webb stuck by his decision, and the FA confirmed the red card will stand.

Clash: Swansea defender Chico climbs on Carroll's back as the pair challenge for a header

It means the 25-year-old striker will now miss West Ham’s matches against Aston Villa, Norwich and Southampton.

A West Ham insider said: ‘We are incensed by the decision. We’ll get a top QC to look at the whole process and see if it is in any way flawed.

‘It’s a sad day for football when the player who pretended to be hit in full in the face — when he wasn’t — comes out the winner.

‘We are without Andy for three crucial games, but we have faith in our squad — and in our manager — to get us out of trouble.

‘We are only two points behind Swansea in 11th place and so we have to go into these games in a confident frame of mind.’

Feigning injury: Chico stays on the ground as Carroll is shown a straight red card

West Ham officials believe the FA’s appeals procedure is flawed under European law.



Although the FA do not condone play- acting, an accusation that has been aimed at Flores over the incident, any histrionics are not taken into account when considering such offences.

The absence of club-record signing Carroll has been one of the major factors in West Ham’s poor first half to the season, with the win over Swansea just the fifth league victory of the campaign. They are now 18th, a point inside the relegation zone.