Sportsupdated 1h ago3 min read
MapMikel Arteta Warns Max Dowman He’s Not In Disneyland After Red Card
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Max Dowman, 16, was sent off against Fleetwood in the League Cup quarter/round, Arsenal eliminated. Arteta warned Dowman: 'we are not in Disneyland' and will enforce senior-player standards.
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Arteta after Fleetwood red
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta warned Max Dowman he was “not in Disneyland” after the 16-year-old was sent off in Arsenal’s League Cup defeat by Fleetwood, a fourth-tier club, following a 1-1 draw in normal time and a 5-3 penalty shoot-out loss away to Fleetwood on Tuesday. Arteta said he had spoken to Dowman on Thursday and insisted there were “no issues at all” between them, even as the Football Association upheld the red card and Dowman’s three-match ban. Arteta also said the sending-off came after Dowman reacted to a heavy challenge by Harrison Neal, and he described the context of provocation as part of what he had discussed with Dowman just before the match.
The BBC reported that Dowman will serve a three-match ban after Arsenal’s appeal was rejected, and the BBC said Arteta spoke about the incident for the first time on Friday in a pre-match news conference. The Guardian added that Dowman became the youngest player ever to be sent off in League Cup history as Arsenal crashed out to Fleetwood.
Context, standards, and criticism
Arteta told reporters he did not know what to expect from Dowman’s reaction, saying, “I understand. But you need to understand the context, the relationship that I have with him and what we discussed just before we went out [for the match].”
Arteta also defended his touchline response by pointing to the team’s situation, saying, “When they have to play with 10, you want to see that? What do you expect?”
The Guardian said Arteta described his reaction as “minimal” while he also said he was “very disappointed” that the Football Association rejected Arsenal’s appeal against Dowman’s three-match suspension.
Arteta said he had warned Dowman before the game about dealing with provocation, and he said it was “not the first time that happened” because it had occurred earlier this month with England Under-19s.
Arteta said he was “lucky today that he hasn’t had a broken foot,” and he framed the episode as part of a wider pattern that required him to be “very protective” of young players.
Ban, next matches, and injuries
Arsenal faced immediate consequences from Dowman’s red card, with the BBC stating he would serve an immediate three-game ban for violent conduct after Arsenal lost an appeal against his red card and punishment. The Guardian said Dowman will be suspended for Sunday’s trip to Liverpool and the games against Hull and Newcastle, while Arsenal awaited more news on Bukayo Saka’s thigh injury and a late test for Noni Madueke after an ankle issue. Arteta said Arsenal would “look after him so much that you cannot imagine,” while he insisted the club would still demand the same standards from Dowman as from other players because he “needs to earn the right to play.”
The Guardian reported that Arteta said he had “put every argument on the table” in an attempt to clear Dowman’s name but to no avail. Arteta also said he was “very disappointed” again, and he linked that disappointment to the “reckless tackles that he received” and what he called Dowman’s “reaction is minimal in relation to the action.”