Kildare forward Daniel Flynn looks set to miss their Super 8s clash at Kerry this Saturday.
However Flynn could still appeal the decision to the Central Appeals Committee and Disputes Resolution Authority.
The GAA's Central Hearing's Committee today announced it had upheld the referee's awarding of a red card and one game suspension following Flynn's foul play in the game against Galway.
The Committee found that Flynn 'attempted to strike with the hand'.
Kildare boss O’Neill branded the red card decision after the game as “an absolute disgrace”.
And he insisted Flynn was only responding to being “manhandled” all afternoon.
"I think it is an absolute disgrace, and I mean an absolute disgrace.
“Considering the linesmen are all qualified referees, I don’t know where the game is going.
“I can totally empathise with what happened with Kevin . . . whether it was or it wasn’t the right thing to do.
“That is obviously where he had gone to in his mind. I was close to that today.”
O’Neill said Flynn was inconsolable.
He added: “Daniel is devastated.
“He was literally being manhandled, literally being dragged — he was shoving to get the man off him.
“We were pleading with both linesmen for the full match to watch the pulling and dragging, particularly from our kick-outs.
"Then he literally threw back, it wasn’t an elbow or a fist, of course the theatrics came into it, but you can’t blame a player for that."
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