The three games Dion Sanderson will miss for Birmingham City as appeal ruled unsuccessful

Birmingham City captain Dion Sanderson will now miss three Sky Bet Championship games rather than two due to an unsuccessful appeal for the red card picked up against Southampton on Saturday.

The central defender was sent off in the 62nd minute of the 4-3 defeat as he caught Saints midfielder Will Smallbone just below the knee. Sanderson's studs were up but it was only a one-legged challenge and it lacked force. There was also minimal connection with the Southampton player.

Blues, furious with referee James Bell's decision, reviewed the video evidence and decided to lodge an appeal but it has been ruled unsuccessful, the club has announced. Sanderson will now miss Birmingham's next three Championship fixtures, against Hull City, Millwall and Middlesbrough.

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Assistant manager Mark Venus, the interim manager in Tony Mowbray's absence, couldn't understand the thinking behind the red card. “Listen, football is all about everybody having an opinion on everything but for me, I don’t think it was a red card," Venus said on Saturday.

"I don’t think there was any intent, I don’t think there was any malice, I don’t think he tried to hurt him. I think if you send people off every time they put their studs above the ball, then we could all sit here and watch the television to give a lot of red cards. Personally, I don’t think there was any physical movement in his contact. 

“He didn’t drive into him and move his leg into him, he just turned his body and put his foot into it to try and make contact with the ball. Again, we fall foul of an opinion that probably is in the minority of all the people in the crowd," Venus continued.