Sunderland midfielder Sebastian Larsson has failed in his bid to have the red card he received against Manchester United overturned on appeal.
The 31-year-old Swede challenged referee Craig Pawson's decision to dismiss him for a 43rd-minute challenge on Ander Herrera during Sunday's 3-0 defeat at the Stadium of Light, but Football Association disciplinary chiefs have backed the official.
An FA statement said: "An Independent Regulatory Commission has rejected a wrongful dismissal claim from Sunderland's Sebastian Larsson.
"The midfielder was dismissed for serious foul play during the Black Cats' Premier League fixture against Manchester United on 9 April, 2017. Larsson's three-match suspension remains in place."
The news will come as a blow to manager David Moyes, who insisted after the game that Larsson's tackle did not even warrant a yellow card.
Moyes said: "I don't want to make you think it's the referee's fault, it's not that. But he gets the ball, he touches the ball. There's no contact at all, so it's not even a booking."
Larsson will miss the home games against West Ham and Bournemouth either side of a derby trip to Middlesbrough before returning for the final four fixtures of the campaign.
However, given that the Black Cats welcome the Hammers to Wearside on Saturday lying 10 points adrift of safety, he could conceivably find himself with little or nothing to play for unless his team-mates can improve significantly upon a return of just one win in their last 14 league games.
Source: PA
