FA rule on West Ham's wrongful dismissal claim following controversial Sofiane Feghouli red card

Sofiane Feghouli will be available for West Ham United's meeting with Manchester City on Friday evening (6 January), it has been confirmed. The 27-year-old was initially due to be suspended for that FA Cup third-round tie in addition to Premier League matches against Crystal Palace and Middlesbrough after being shown a straight red card during the 15th minute of a 2-0 defeat to Manchester United at London Stadium last weekend.

That dismissal followed a collision with defender Phil Jones and proved massively controversial, with referee Mike Dean subsequently subjected to widespread criticism. West Ham quickly confirmed their intention to appeal against such a contentious call and the club confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that they have indeed been successful.

A statement released via the Hammers' official website read: "West Ham United can confirm that a Football Association Regulatory Commission has upheld the club's claim for wrongful dismissal in respect of the red card shown to Sofiane Feghouli against Manchester United."

West Ham CEO Karren Brady was first with the news, writing on Twitter: "I have just received a call to confirm Sofiane will not be required to serve a 3 match suspension and is eligible to play friday."

The FA's decision will no doubt delight West Ham manager Slaven Bilic, who bemoaned Dean's error and accused Jones of making a meal of the early challenge.

"It was not a red card," he told the BBC. "Feghouli's foot was not high in the air, it was not deliberate. It was the key decision and it killed us.

"It put the game in a different perspective and was totally unfair for us. Phil made a meal of it, but you cannot blame him. Maybe he made a meal because he is the one who went dangerously and he is saving himself."

Feghouli has really struggled to make much of an impression during his maiden season at West Ham, making just 14 appearances across all competitions in the aftermath of a free summer transfer from La Liga strugglers Valencia. The former Grenoble and Almeria winger, who was making his very first top-flight start against Manchester United, has been linked with a potential January move to Marseille after failing to make Georges Leekens' final 23-man Algeria squad that will compete at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Gabon later this month.