Overview
- Dowman was shown a straight red for kicking out at Fleetwood’s Harrison Neal late in the Carabao Cup tie last month and Arsenal lodged an appeal against the dismissal and the three-match punishment.
- The Football Association’s independent regulatory commission published written reasons this week and rejected Arsenal’s appeal, upholding the red card and the normal three-match domestic suspension.
- The three-person panel split two-to-one on whether Dowman’s reaction amounted to violent conduct, with one member describing the act as petulance rather than excessive force.
- All panel members were unanimous that the suspension was not clearly excessive and they ruled Dowman’s age was not a relevant factor in reducing the ban.
- Dowman has already missed one domestic match and will sit out two more league games, a short-term selection problem for Arsenal that does not affect his eligibility for European matches.