It has been officially confirmed that Arsenal Under-19 midfielder Max Dauman has been suspended for three games by the English Football Association (FA). Dauman started in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup on the 27th and was sent off after being shown a red card in the 85th minute for retaliating after receiving a dangerous sliding tackle from an opponent. The match was lost in a penalty shootout, and Arsenal suffered a crushing defeat to Fleetwood Town, who belong to EFL League 2 (equivalent to the 4th division).
After the match, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta commented, ``It's difficult to judge based on footage alone. We want to review the situation thoroughly and evaluate the situation.''The team appealed the decision, but the FA rejected it. As a result, Dowman has been handed a three-match suspension for assault, meaning he will miss the games against Liverpool on November 1st, Hull City on November 7th and Newcastle on November 21st.
This absence will be a big blow for Arsenal. With England national team forward Bukayo Saka and Greek national team forward Hristos Tzoris absent due to injury, and England national team forward Noni Madueke's condition also unclear, the winger depth is extremely thin. Although the coach urged the players to reflect, the impact of Dauman's actions on the team is immeasurable.
In response to the FA's punishment, prominent English sports journalist Henry Winter criticized the FA's response, saying, ``The FA's response was extremely inappropriate, and it is problematic that an organization that is supposed to protect players would instead punish young players.'' Winter said Dowman could have suffered a serious injury due to a dangerous tackle and called the free agency's priorities "completely wrong."
From now on, Arsenal will use other players to compensate for Dauman's absence, and the challenge will be how to fill the gap on the wing. Especially against Liverpool, we need to keep the team balanced with so many absentees. With the FA's decision now finalized, the team is forced to reevaluate its future strategy.