West Ham's Andy Carroll loses appeal over three-game ban

London: West Ham striker Andy Carroll has lost his appeal against a three-match ban for violent conduct following his red card against Swansea.

The Football Association says that an independent panel rejected Carroll's claim of wrongful dismissal, and the ban will take immediate effect.

Carroll was shown a straight red card just before the hour mark on Saturday when his flailing arm caught Swansea defender Chico Flores on the head in West Ham's 2-0 victory.

The FA said in a statement that the panel had to "apply the test of whether the decision to dismiss a player was 'an obvious error.'"

Carroll, who set up both goals on Saturday, will now miss Premier League matches at Aston Villa and against Norwich and Southampton.