Manchester City have launched an appeal to UEFA over Kyle Walker’s three-match Champions League ban for ‘assault’.
Walker was sent off for a petulant kick out at RB Leipzig’s Andre Silva during a group stage defeat in December and is set to miss both last-16 ties against Sporting Lisbon.
City initially accepted the punishment and were also resigned to being without the right back for a potential quarter-final first leg should they progress.
They have, however, now looked at other precedents in recent seasons and feel that three matches is severe and are looking for a reduction to the suspension.
Inter Milan midfielder Nicolo Barella was handed a two-match ban for punching Real Madrid’s Eder Militao in the leg on the same night as Walker’s indiscretion.
Other similar incidents – including suspensions of two matches for Antoine Griezmann this season, Thomas Muller in 2018 and Idrissa Gueye last year – emboldened City to appeal.
So too does a three-game ban for Andriy Yarmalenko while at Dynamo Kiev in 2015. The forward’s punishment was reduced to one match after a heavy challenge on Guingamp midfielder Younousse Sankhare.
UEFA do not increase suspensions on appeal and City hope to convince the governing body that the penalty imposed on Walker was too harsh.
'My red card against Leipzig was very bad judgement and a stupid error that a 31-year-old shouldn't be making with the amount of games that I've played,' Walker said last month.
'I'm human, I make mistakes and I'm learning from that and will bounce back. Hopefully my performances between now and the end of the season can justify that and I'm picking up some silverware.'