LEICESTER striker Jamie Vardy will miss three matches after an appeal against his red card in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Stoke City was rejected.

    The 29-year-old’s wrongful dismissal claim was rejected by the Football Association (FA) on Tuesday and he will miss games against Everton, West Ham and Middlesbrough.

    The England forward was sent off by referee Craig Pawson in the 28th minute for a tackle on Stoke’s Mame Diouf.

    Vardy will miss Leicester’s next three Premier League games over the festive period, but will be available for their FA Cup third-round tie at Everton on Jan. 7.

    The FA’s statement read: “Jamie Vardy will serve a three-match suspension with immediate effect after his wrongful dismissal claim was rejected, following an Independent Regulatory Commission hearing. The Leicester City striker was sent off for serious foul play during the game at Stoke City on Saturday.”

    Ranieri had told the press of his intention to appeal Vardy’s ban after the match, saying: “I don’t know, let me think, if it is possible, yes. He wants to challenge and get the ball, not make a foul.

    “If you listen to me I say, ‘No’ (it was not a red card), if you listen to (Stoke manager) Mark Hughes, he says, ‘Yes.’ But the decision is the referee and he says it’s a red card. There was a big challenge between Johnson and Vardy. He touched the ball. Maybe it was yellow.”(SD-Agencies)