Dowman ban upheld, football's rules need to change
Let's start again with Max Dowman whosethree match ban was upheldafter Arsenal's appeal against the red card failed. The club had made the bid on the basis of wrongful dismissal and excessive punishment, but the claim was dismissed by an independent regulatory commission who will publish their 'written reasons' in due course.
You will already know I think this is too severe. I thought the sending off was harsh, especially with the video evidence that backed the appeal, and for a player to miss three games for what was such a minor reaction to a heavy challenge is really unfair.
And I would say that if this were an Arsenal player or not. It's another example of how we hear about the concept of player protection all the time, but the reality is there have been countless incidents which could have been used to demonstrate there's a seriousness about that but it never, ever happens.
How absurd is it that Max Dowman will serve the same ban as Ryan Shawcross got for snapping Aaron Ramsey's leg in two? Remember when Dan Smith launched himself at Abou Diaby's ankle, putting him out of the game for 9 months and causing an injury so severe it plagued the rest of the Frenchman's career?
He didn't even get a red card that day, so the next time you see Dermot Gallagher pontificating on Sky about how a referee got an obviously wrong decision right, apply that context (he was the ref at the Stadium of Light that day). Football has a problem with actual violent conduct, but chooses to deal with it by trying to make us think performative infractions like Dowman's are worthy of the same punishment as the acts of real violence.
The dangerous tackles, the two-footed leaps (which seem to creeping back into the game a bit, probably because they're not being punished), pushing an opposition player when they're in the air, these things are not on the same scale. If what Dowman did is worthy of a three game ban, the next time someone goes studs first over the ball into the shins of their opponent, they should get ten games at least.
But we know that's not going to happen. Almost as long as this blog has been going (coming up on 25 years now!), I've made the case for there to be a sliding scale of punishment for acts that meet the definition of violent conduct.
Some things are just more violent than others, but as long as this blanket punishment of three games regardless of the seriousness of the incident is in place, the more those in charge do the game and the players a disservice. Still, it is what it is now, and Arsenal will have to live without Dowman for the games against Liverpool, Hull City, and the away trip to Newcastle on the far side of the upcoming November Interlull.
He could well have been involved at some point this weekend against Liverpool, but now we're sweating on the fitness of Noni Madueke, with Eberechi Eze the only other option for the left hand side. There are some whispers that Christos Tzolis could be back in contention for Sunday, which would be a very welcome boost, but the forward line looks a bit light for a game of this significance.