Analysis: Ballard red inevitable after previous incidents
· Yahoo Sports
It was not immediately clear what the first-half video assistant referee (VAR) check for violent conduct was for.
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Once it was established the officials were looking at a hair pull by Dan Ballard then a red card was the only outcome if he was guilty.
The guidance to clubs at the start of the season was very clear, pulling an opponents' hair would be considered a dismissal.
Whether Ballard's actions could be called violent conduct may still be up for debate, but referee Paul Tierney followed the letter of the law.
Previous incidents in the Premier League this season have included Michael Keane - also sent off for tugging Tolu Arokodare's hair - and Manchester United's Lisandro Martinez for a hair pull on Leeds striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
Everton and Manchester United both failed in their appeals to get the red cards overturned so it would be expected Ballard and Sunderland will also be unsuccessful.
A three-game ban would end the defender's season and leave Sunderland further frustrated as they missed the chance to jump into the middle of the fight for Europe.
As it is they remain on the fringes.