Bad news for United: Lisandro Martínez suffers FA blow

– Monday, 13 April 2026

Lisandro Martínez received a negative response from the English Football Association (FA). This Friday, the governing body rejected the appeal submitted by Manchester United following the centre-back’s sending-off in the match against Leeds United. As a result, the former Defensa y Justicia player will have to serve the full three-match ban.

The incident that led to the suspension took place two weeks ago, when the Argentine pulled Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hair. Although the referee did not spot it on the field, VAR stepped in to review the play and issue a straight red card for violent conduct. United argued that the punishment was excessive, but the independent commission upheld the original decision.

The defender already served the first match of the suspension last weekend, in Michael Carrick’s side’s win over Chelsea. However, today’s ruling confirms that Licha will not be available for the key matches against Brentford next Monday, or for the derby against Liverpool scheduled for May 3.

The Argentina international centre-back, a regular fixture in Lionel Scaloni’s squad list ahead of the 2026 World Cup, will only be eligible to return the weekend of May 9, when Manchester United visit Sunderland in the Premier League.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.