Arteta Says Dowman Tunnel Words Were Discussed Before Kickoff as Arsenal Appeal

• Asked what he said to 16-year-old Max Dowman after the red card at Fleetwood, Mikel Arteta replied: “It was something that we discussed before the game”, per Sky Sports.
• Arsenal must submit their appeal documents by 1pm on Thursday and want a decision before Sunday’s trip to Liverpool.
• If the appeal fails, Dowman faces a three-match domestic ban that would also rule him out of games against Hull and Newcastle.

Pundits Question the Tunnel Moment as Arsenal Fight a Three-Match Ban

Mikel Arteta has been asked about the tunnel moment that followed Max Dowman’s red card at Fleetwood. Asked what he said to the 16-year-old as the teenager left the pitch, the Arsenal manager gave a single line: “It was something that we discussed before the game.” He declined to say more when pressed. The answer leaves the exchange itself unexplained, and Paul Merson and Jobi McAnuff have both criticised the way Arteta handled the moment. Arsenal are appealing the card, and the verdict decides whether Dowman is available for Liverpool on Sunday.

What Arteta Said and What He Held Back

Dowman was sent off for violent conduct late in Arsenal’s Carabao Cup fourth-round tie after he kicked out at Harrison Neal, who had gone in with a strong challenge on the teenager. Referee Michael Salisbury showed the red card moments before Arsenal went out on penalties to the League Two side, who sit 84 places below them in the pyramid. At 16 years and 300 days, Dowman became the youngest player sent off in a League Cup match.

As Dowman headed toward the tunnel and past the dugouts, Arteta leaned in and spoke to him. What he said remains unconfirmed. Amateur lip-readers on social media have guessed at “Get in the changing room. Now.” Nothing backs that up.

In his press conference Arteta also said: “We knew when we prepared the context of the match, we were very clear on the things to expect, the things that emotionally we have to dominate.”

On the card itself, Arteta said in his post-match interview that he wanted to watch the incident back before assessing the situation. When co-commentator Andy Hinchcliffe called the red card harsh, Arteta replied: “I haven’t seen it with the camera. You can’t really see what happens. The decision was made by the referee and that’s it.”

Arsenal put 19 shots off target, and Arteta said the effort was not the problem. “It wasn’t to do with attitude otherwise I would be here fuming. I’m sad, we’re all sad.”

Merson and McAnuff Dislike the Reaction

Merson went straight at the touchline exchange. He said Arteta would not treat Viktor Gyokeres, an experienced international, that way, and asked why the manager would do it to a 16-year-old. “If it was me, I’d have put my arm around him,” Merson said. The tie was still 1-1 when the card came out.

On the decision itself, Merson sided with Dowman: “It’s not that bad. In my opinion, it wasn’t a red card.” He also warned that opponents will now try to upset the teenager. “He’s going to be kicked,” Merson said of the rest of Dowman’s career.

McAnuff was blunter about Arteta. “I didn’t like the reaction at all,” he said. He called Dowman “potentially the future of Arsenal” and added: “Arteta didn’t get that quite right.”

The Appeal and the Three-Match Ban

Arsenal must submit appeal documents by 1pm on Thursday. The FA sets the timing of the process and the decision, and the club hope for an answer before Sunday’s match at Liverpool.

Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher expects them to lose. “I think it will fail,” he said, pointing to Dowman’s aggression and the intent he sees in the kick. “He knows what he’s doing. He almost brings his knee up in a kicking action.” Gallagher thinks Neal should also have been booked, with a free kick to Arsenal, and called the Fleetwood defender’s tackle “a reckless challenge”.

If the appeal fails, Dowman serves a three-match domestic suspension. He would miss the trip to Liverpool and games against Hull and Newcastle. Bukayo Saka’s thigh injury is expected to keep him out for several weeks, which had opened up more Premier League minutes for the teenager.

A Teenager Who Is Used to Contact

Dowman burst on to the scene last year as the first 15-year-old to play in the Champions League. He broke the Premier League’s youngest goalscorer record against Everton in March and scored twice against Ipswich in the previous round of the Carabao Cup last month. He has trained with the first team from the age of 14.

He was also sent off playing for England’s Under-19s against the USA after a poorly timed tackle, a decision most people at the behind-closed-doors match thought harsh. Last year Arteta said Dowman was fouled nine times in the first half of an England Under-19s game against Spain and urged him to follow the example of Saka. Players like that, Arteta said, have to be “very smart about when you want that contact and when you don’t want it”.

Arteta has offered nothing more than his one sentence on the tunnel, and Merson and McAnuff have both said what they think of it. The next answer comes from the FA. Arsenal’s papers are due by 1pm on Thursday, and the club want a ruling before Liverpool on Sunday. If the red card stands, three of Dowman’s next games go with it.