Arsenal's appeal against the red card shown to youngster Max Dowman has been rejected, meaning the 16-year-old must serve a three-match domestic suspension.
Dowman was sent off late on at Highbury Stadium during Arsenal's Carabao Cup fourth-round defeat to Fleetwood Town on penalties. The Gunners were eliminated from the competition by the League Two side.
Appeal Rejected by Commission
The red card was shown for kicking out after a heavy challenge from Fleetwood midfielder Harrison Neal. Arsenal appealed the decision and, according to the BBC, submitted two videos as evidence to the Football Association's regulatory commission, along with a letter from secretary Zayna Perkins.
The appeal was rejected by a three-person Independent Regulatory Commission, which has released the written reasons for its decision.
Commission's Findings
The majority view accepted that Dowman had received a forceful challenge that he did not see coming, but the two commission members felt he had the option to "step out of this challenge without any reaction but he turned back towards Neal and his forceful attempt at a retaliatory kick gave the referee a decision to make".
The minority view was that Dowman's actions were petulant rather than an act of violent conduct, and "did not constitute a challenge made with excessive force or brutality".
The forward's age was rejected as a relevant factor in deliberations, and the commission could find no "truly exceptional" reason to alter the suspension. While Arsenal felt a three-game ban was "clearly excessive", the appeal was unanimously rejected, with the commission noting that the threshold for a "clearly excessive" appeal is a high bar to reach.
Suspension Details
Dowman served the first match of his three-game ban in the win over Liverpool last weekend. He will also miss Premier League matches against Hull and Newcastle either side of the November international break.
