Arsenal appeal Max Dowman's red card from the Fleetwood cup exit
The 16-year-old was sent off for violent conduct late in the Carabao Cup defeat at Fleetwood. Arsenal hope the FA rules before Sunday's trip to Liverpool; if the ban stands, he misses three domestic games.
By TuSport Desk · 28 Oct 2026, 17:55 WAT
Arsenal have decided to appeal against the red card shown to Max Dowman in Tuesday night's Carabao Cup fourth-round tie at Fleetwood Town, BBC Sport, Sky Sports and the Evening Standard report.
The 16-year-old was sent off for violent conduct in the 85th minute. He reacted to a heavy tackle from Fleetwood's Harrison Neal, and the BBC says that although he did not fully kick out, his foot did make contact with Neal. The game ended 1-1, and the League Two side went through 5-3 on penalties against the Premier League champions.
The club must lodge the appeal papers with the Football Association by 1pm UK time (14:00 WAT) on Thursday 29 October. Arsenal hope to have a decision before Sunday's Premier League game at Liverpool, but the FA decides how long the process takes. The Standard says Arsenal feel a red card was too harsh a punishment for Dowman's reaction to the tackle.
If the appeal fails, Dowman serves a three-match domestic ban. The Standard says that would keep him out of the games against Liverpool, Hull and Newcastle, and he would not be available for a domestic game again until Arsenal host Manchester City on 29 November. The ban does not cover European games, so he would still be available for the Champions League match against Slavia Prague on 4 November.
It is Dowman's second red card this month. He was also sent off while playing for England's under-19s.
Mikel Arteta was seen leaning towards Dowman and speaking to him angrily as the teenager walked past the dugout. Asked what he said, Arteta told reporters: "It was something that we discussed before the game." Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson said Arteta should have put an arm around the youngster instead.
A ban would leave Arsenal short on the right wing. Bukayo Saka, Christos Tzolis and Noni Madueke are all out injured.
Sources: www.bbc.com · www.standard.co.uk · www.skysports.com
