Dowman ban upheld, football’s rules need to change

Arsenal's appeal against Max Dowman's red card has failed, with an independent regulatory commission upholding his three-match ban. The dismissal will rule Dowman out of Arsenal's upcoming matches against Liverpool, Hull City, and Newcastle United. The club had appealed the decision on the grounds of wrongful dismissal and excessive punishment following a match against Fleetwood Town.

Arseblog criticizes the ruling as overly severe, arguing that football should introduce a sliding scale of punishments rather than applying blanket three-match bans. The writer also highlighted Arsenal's attacking selection concerns ahead of the Liverpool fixture, noting fitness doubts around Noni Madueke while Christos Tzolis could potentially return.