Wes Brown's controversial red card during Sunderland's defeat to Manchester United has been rescinded by a Football Association panel.
The defender was sent off by referee Roger East at Old Trafford in the second half of Saturday's Premier Leagueclash after he was ruled to have fouled Radamel Falcao in the penalty box.
Television replays, however, showed that teammate John O'Shea had been the man to impede the Colombian.
Referees' body the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) released a statement after the matchinsisting it was not a case of mistaken identity and that East did in fact mean to send Brown off.
East believed he saw contact from O'Shea and Brown on Falcao and sent off the latter as, in his view, Brown's foul had been the crucial one, the statement said.
However, an independent regulatory commission convened by the FA cleared Brown of any wrongdoing and he is free from suspension.
The 35-year-old will now be available for Sunderland's trip to Hull City on Tuesday night.
A statement posted on the FA's official website read: "An Independent Regulatory Commission has today upheld a claim of wrongful dismissal in relation to Wes Brown.
"The Sunderland defender was dismissed in the game against Manchester United on Saturday 28 February 2015 for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity.
"Therefore, his one-match suspension has been withdrawn with immediate effect."
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