Squeaky-clean Davidson in the pink after winning red card appeal

Australia defender Jason Davidson has won his fight to prove he is not "a dirty player" after a tribunal rescinded the card dished out to him for allegedly kneeing an opponent while playing for his new Dutch club Groningen last weekend.

Davidson

Jason Davidson, right, remonstrates with the referee after being sent off while playing for Groningen Source: Getty Images

The 25-year-old left-back was adjudged to have aimed a raised knee at Heerenveen’s Arber Zeneli as Groningen crashed to a 3-0 loss, incurring a straight red after just 36 minutes and facing a one game ban, with a further game suspended should he be sent off again.

But an appeal on Friday exonerated Davidson of any wrongdoing and cleared him to face AZ Alkmaar on Monday (AEDT) as they seek to haul themselves away from the foot of the table.
Davidson, previously sent off just once in his career while playing for Heracles in the Eredivisie three years ago, said: "I don’t think I should have been punished in the first place."

"I don’t think I did anything wrong and the tribunal agreed with that after the club decided to appeal the ban.

"If you look at my history, I am not known to be a dirty player.

"I always knew I was innocent and what happened was a reflex, something I couldn’t control.

"To be accused of trying to knee somebody on purpose didn’t sit well with me, because I knew I didn’t do that. And the tribunal obviously agreed with that by quashing the suspension.

"I am just happy they have seen the mistake and they have fixed it."

Davidson would also like to fix himself up with a national team recall after dropping down the pecking order behind Socceroos' young guns, Brad Smith and Alex Gersbach this year.

After the disappointment of unfulfilling spells with West Bromwich Albion and Huddersfield Town, who loaned him to Groningen for the season, he is hoping to have a barnstorming year to force his way back into contention for next year's FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia.
"One of the main the reasons I joined Groningen was to play each week and get myself back into the national team," Davidson said.

"I just want to do well on a regular basis and hopefully that will end up with a recall. It’s down to Ange (Postecoglou) and I just have to do all I can to convince him to pick me again.

"It’s good that we have so much competition for places with the national team and player pool is much deeper than it once was.

"I just need to do all I can to get back in and not worry too much about things I can’t control."


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3 min read
Published 22 October 2016 11:37am
Updated 22 October 2016 12:58pm
By Dave Lewis

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