Toronto FC were not happy about the game-changing red card in their 2-0 loss to Columbus Crew SC on March 14, and they are unlikely to be happy about the result of this week's appeal, either.
The club filed an appeal of the red card issued to defender Justin Morrow in the 45th minute (VIDEO), as referee David Gantar sent off the left back after his last-ditch tackle on Crew SC winger Ethan Finlay was deemed a denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity.
“Justin Morrow was sent off the field of play for denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity to an opponent moving towards the player’s goal by an offense punishable by a free kick,” Gantar said in a written statement to a pool reporter following the match.
An independent review panel consisting of one representative from the United States Soccer Federation, one representative from the Canadian Soccer Association and one representative of the Professional Referees Organization (PRO) were not unanimous that the referee had made a serious and obvious error in the send-off.
As a result, Morrow will serve his one-match suspension and miss Toronto FC’s match against Real Salt Lake on March 29 at Rio Tinto Stadium (7 pm ET, FOX Sports 1, FOX Deportes, FOX Sports GO).
Per league policy, Toronto FC will have one more unsuccessful appeal for any send-off review during the 2015 season. For more on the red card review process, CLICK HERE.
