Manchester City Captain Issues Facebook Response to Derby Day Red Card

Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany has issued a statement via Facebook revealing the reasons behind his recent failed appeal for his red card against Manchester United.

Kompany was sent-off during Manchester City's 3-2 defeat against Manchester United in the third round of the FA Cup, after referee Chris Foy issued a straight red card for a challenge on Nani.

The Manchester City defender subsequently appealed the decision but his three game ban was upheld by the FA despite many suggesting his tackle on the aforementioned Manchester United winger was a legitimate one.

Following the FA's decision to stick with Foy's initial verdict, the Manchester City stalwart has issued a statement via Facebook.

The Manchester City skipper said: "I appealed because I obviously completely disagreed with the interpretation of the officials on the day but that happens in football and we move on.

"I wonder though if we are now going to see an unprecedented wave of red cards on match days because we sanction "if's" and "maybe's"? Are we going to look back at video evidence for every single challenge that goes unnoticed by the officials, look at different scenarios and potential outcomes of what could have been considered a good tackle and then sanction it?

"Players and managers are starting to expect more sending offs from referees and I think it's for the wrong reasons.

"My understanding is that English football prides itself on the hardness, the fairness and the tradition of its game. That is why hundreds of millions of people tune in to watch Premier League football and English referees have always been a key factor to that success in my opinion.

"So I don't agree with people saying that referees in this country aren't doing well as I think they are the best in the world. Hopefully common sense will prevail again in the future and I for one hope not to see consistency in sending offs and suspensions when the intent of a player is to win the ball.

"I'd like to add to this that I waited for the suspension to be confirmed before making any comments on the matter as I didn't want to give the impression that I was using the media as a tool to benefit my own personal agenda in this case. I'm not speaking on behalf of the club or anybody else, this isn't me defending myself, this is just me raising a genuine concern.

"If football fans decide I'm wrong in raising these concerns then I will have no problem in accepting the fact that times are changing again for our game."

The hugely impressive Manchester City star is now widely regarded as one of the finest defenders in the Premier League and is an increasing presence on and off the pitch for Roberto Mancini's side. The Belgium international was given the armband by Mancini following Carlos Tevez's well-documented feud with the club, and his four game ban for the aforementioned incident against Manchester United, begins with this evening's Carling Cup tie against Liverpool.