Arsenal have announced that they will appeal against the dismissal of MaxDowM in yesterday's match against Fleetwood in the CarabaoCup. The young talent, born in 2009, was sent off in the 85th minute after reacting to a harsh challenge from Harrison Neal. Although the contact was not a real kick, DowM's foot touched the opponent, triggering the referee and leaving MikelArteta's team 10-on-10.
The match ended 1-1, but Fleetwood then won 5-3 on penalties against the PremierLeague champions. For DowM, this is the second red ban received this month, the first occurring during a match with the England under-19 team. The coach, in a post-match post, underlined that "when we prepared the context of the match, we were very clear on the things to respect, on the situations that we must dominate from an emotional point of view. It was very clear". As the 16-year-old left the pitch, Arteta glared at him and made his disappointment clear.
According to the rules of the football regulations, violent conduct occurs when a player “uses or attempts to use excessive force or brutality against an opponent when he is not contesting the ball, regardless of whether contact occurs or not”. As a result, DowM could face a three-match ban. Arsenal will have to manage this absence at a time when they are already dealing with injuries to Saka, Tzolis and Madueke, and the next PremierLeague match is against Liverpool.
The London club said they will appeal against the referee's decision, believing the disqualification was unfair. If the appeal is successful, DowM could return to the field before the next match. However, if the decision is confirmed, the young player will be out for at least three matches, with significant impacts on the Arsenal squad at a crucial stage of the season.