Eveliina Summanen banned for role in rescinded Ella Toone red card

Tottenham midfielder Eveliina Summanen has been hit with a two-game suspension by the FA over her role in Manchester United’s Ella Toone being shown a red card in the WSL clash between the clubs earlier this month.

Toone was sent off in the closing stages of the United win following a coming together with Summanen, lashing out at the Finland international after the pair had both fallen to the ground.

But United took exception to the decision because Toone appeared to make contact with Summanen’s shoulder, only for her to then hold her face and feign a worse injury instead.

"Maybe play-acting is a tough word but actually the reality is there is no need to roll around holding your face, right? There is no need,” a frustrated United boss Marc Skinner said afterwards.

“We'll assess that within and deal with it internally but you just don't need to roll around holding your face. That is the part I don't want to come into our game because it is a clear push on the shoulder and maybe more frustration.”

An appeal was lodged and Toone’s red card was rescinded, with the three-game suspension that she would have had also withdrawn.

As a surprising consequence, the FA proceeded to instead charge Summanen with the ‘successful deception of a match official’, considered improper conduct, for the part she played in the incident.

The Spurs player denied the charge against her, but it was upheld by an independent regulatory commission during a hearing that then produced the suspension. Written reasons behind the decision will be published by the FA at the end of the month.

Summanen, who has started 11 of a struggling Tottenham’s 12 WSL games this season, will now be banned from the FA Cup fifth round tie with Reading this weekend, as well as the away trip to Manchester City in the league at the start of next month.

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