Saracens and England wing Chris Ashton will have to serve a 10-week ban after an independent committee rejected his appeal.
Ashton was handed the suspension for making contact with the eye(s) or eye area of Ulster's Luke Marshall during a Champions Cup match on January 16.
And the 28-year-old, who had been recalled to the England squad for the Six Nations, will now have to sit out the tournament.
Ashton pulled Marshall to the ground with his left arm in the first half of the Champions Cup clash, while also grabbing the Ireland international's face with his right hand.
After he was cited for the incident, independent judicial officer Jean-Noel Couraud ruled that he had committed an act of foul play which warranted a red card.
The player pled not guilty at a hearing last week and appealed against the severity of the punishment but, having adjourned the hearing on Wednesday, the appeal panel announced on Thursday morning that the suspension will remain in place.
Ashton will be free to return to action on Monday, March 28 but the lengthy ban is a massive blow to the winger, who had managed to force his way back into the England reckoning.
He has been capped 39 times since making his debut in 2010, scoring 19 tries, but lost his place during Stuart Lancaster's spell in charge and has not represented his country since June 2014.
This season's Six Nations ends on March 19, nine days before Ashton can play again, but he will be available for Saracens' Champions Cup quarter-final against Northampton on April 9.
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