Watford's Marvin Zeegelaar Subject to 3 Match Ban Following Unsuccessful Red Card Appeal

Watford have seen their appeal against Marvin Zeegelaar's red card turned down by the FA, following the defender's first half dismissal against Burnley on Saturday.

The 27-year-old was dismissed against the Clarets for a two-footed tackle on Burnley's Steven Defour, after which soon followed the opening (and only) goal of the game at Turf Moor.

Watford moved to have the card overturned, but have found their appeal unsuccessful. Instead, Zeegelaar will miss his side's next three games - which come against Crystal Palace, Huddersfield and Brighton - the ban commencing immediately ahead of the Hornet's Tuesday night encounter with the Eagles.

Speaking after the game, Watford boss Silva made a point to discuss his player's marching orders, claiming that the "mistake" made by the referee completely changed the game:

"There was a good competition between everybody, then after one decision the referee made a big difference in the match, a big influence, and it was a harsh decision for me," Silva said, according to Daily Mail.

"It's not a red, that changed everything, and after two or three minutes they scored.

"The referee never had control of the match and he lost it with the moment when he made the mistake.

"I understand I can make mistakes and so can our players, and the referee can too, but he made a big mistake and that had a big influence."

The result saw Watford drop to ninth in the Premier League table. Leicester's win over Newcastle has propelled the Foxes to eighth, one point clear of the Hornets. As for Burnley, the victory has seen them put daylight between them and both Watford and Leicester. The Clarets' 28 points gives them a five point threshold over their immediate rivals.