In a dramatic turn of events, Arsenal's appeal against the red card issued to Myles Lewis-Skelly during their Premier League victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers has been successful. The Football Association's independent regulatory commission has overturned the decision, allowing Lewis-Skelly to play in Arsenal's upcoming home game against Manchester City. Referee Michael Oliver had initially dismissed Lewis-Skelly for a tackle on Matt Doherty, marking him as the third youngest player ever dismissed in Premier League history.
The incident took place in Lewis-Skelly's own half, with the referee judging the challenge to be "extremely late" and with high contact. Despite video evidence seemingly supporting the original decision, Arsenal lodged an appeal. The commission ruled in favor of Arsenal, much to the relief of the team and its supporters.
"An independent regulatory commission has upheld a claim of wrongful dismissal in relation to Myles Lewis-Skelly and removed his three-match suspension." – FA spokesperson
Lewis-Skelly's availability for Sunday's crucial match against Manchester City is a significant boost for Arsenal. The young player's teammates, including Riccardo Calafiori, expressed their happiness over the decision, acknowledging that they believed the red card was a mistake from the outset. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was visibly upset by the initial decision and expressed his thoughts candidly.
"It's like being in the playground. The kid runs away from you and you want to trip him up. But as he's gone to trip him up, he's put his foot out to trip him up." – Mikel Arteta
"Because the lad's so quick, or he's quicker than him at the time, he's caught him with his ankle instead of trying to catch him with the outside of his foot. He's going to go and try and catch him with the outside of his foot and that's why you've got to have someone up in VAR that understands football." – Mikel Arteta
The incident sparked widespread debate on social media, escalating to such an extent that it prompted a police investigation into abuse directed at referee Michael Oliver and his family. The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) responded with an unusually public statement condemning the online abuse.
"For everyone in football. You should not be permitted [to do that]. We don't want it, we don't need it and it certainly damages our sport. Let's get it out." – PGMOL
The UK Football Policing Unit has launched an investigation to address the abusive messages Oliver received. Arsenal has pledged its support to both the PGMOL and Oliver during this challenging time.
Mikel Arteta elaborated on his reaction after the match, emphasizing the need for understanding in football decision-making processes, particularly regarding VAR interventions.
"If you understand football, you'd look at that and go, no, in my opinion. It's not a sending off. Definitely not a sending off. But I have nothing against Michael Oliver. I have a problem against people upstairs in VAR that should have intervened." – Mikel Arteta
Arteta also expressed his frustration at the broader issue of abuse within football, calling for greater efforts to eliminate negativity from the sport.
"Every time I talk about this topic, regardless of whether it's about a player, a coach or a referee it doesn't matter. We have to really work harder to try to eradicate that part of the game that brings nothing but bad stuff, bad taste and it makes people's lives more difficult. Let's get it out, let's kick it out." – Mikel Arteta
In the aftermath of the appeal's success, Arteta humorously recounted how he discovered the commission's decision while traveling with the team.
"He was sleeping on the plane when I looked back and I got the news, so I haven't spoken to him, but I imagine a big smile on his face." – Mikel Arteta
Former manager Alan Pardew also weighed in on the incident, expressing his belief that justice had been served with the overturning of the red card.
"Mikel Arteta after the game made it quite clear that they were going to appeal and the tackle was innocuous to me." – Alan Pardew
"It was just a trip and I think the referee got it completely wrong, so I think that was justice." – Alan Pardew
As Lewis-Skelly trained with his teammates ahead of their Champions League fixture against Girona, Arsenal supporters can now look forward to seeing the young talent in action against Manchester City this weekend.
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