In what was surely a ‘Sod it, we’ve nothing to lose’ move, Arsenal appealed the ref card issued to Laurent Koscielny in Sunday’s 3-1 win over Everton – footage here.
The French international was dismissed in the 14th minute for a reckless challenge on Enner Valencia, but his importance to the team – and the fact it was for the final game of the season – prompted the club into an appeal.
That was rejected today by the FA who issued a statement saying:
“Laurent Koscielny will serve a three-match suspension with immediate effect after a claim of wrongful dismissal was unsuccessful.
“The Arsenal defender was sent off for serious foul play during the game against Everton on Sunday [21 May 2017].
“An Independent Regulatory Commission heard the case today [Tuesday 23 May 2017].”
Arsenal could be facing a defensive crisis after Gabriel suffered a knee injury in the same game, while Shkodran Mustafi missed out due to a concussion picked up in the 2-0 win over Sunderland.
Koscielny’s three match ban will also mean he misses the opening two Premier League games of next season.
lol. Worth a go but the FA were never going to let him off. If he was called Rooney on the other hand…
“Laurent Rooney” is a great name.
We are in trouble! I hope Mustafi is available. What this means is our three main centre backs are out, We just have Monreal, Holding and Per………………Phew!
Don’t want to play monreal at centre back, Gibbs hasnt offered much in the games monreal has played at centre back, Coq could play in a back 3 if needed?
I would go for a Xhaka/Coq midfield to help, rest Ramsey. While we can be a threat going forward, I fear Chelsea’s counter. Even Gabriel, Koscielny and Coq could not stop Hazard from doing a solo one.
Why would you ‘rest’ a player in the fa cup final!? And Ramsey too! Madness
Because he’s shit.
@ Frog; your mum
Gargles with Sp*rs jizz.
I was genuinely expecting to hear that this was considered a frivolous chalange and that the ban would be extended. Even risking that though it was worth a shot to try and get him in for the Final.
Imagine if Per starts and we win the cup! Glorious end to a dismal season.
Arsenal Fail….again.
Or he misses just one EPL game if you count the community shield!
I like your optimism!
Unfortunately the Community Shield is only recognised as a friendly so he will miss first 2 league games.
Yes, with Per playing there, we lack pace. But we can make up for that in Gabriel/Mustafi and Holding? Per is great at dealing with aerial pressure. So having him would be a good thing. Only problem is his lack of match sharpness!
Let’s win the cup so Kos will only be missing for the opening game of the season. Unless ban don’t apply in the community shield
Community Shield is regarded as a friendly so ban doesn’t apply. Remember we are playing in Community Shield regardless of final result.
I believe the team who finishes second in the league would play in the Community Shield, if the league champions also win the FA Cup
Can we recall Chambers?
Nope, his loan contract with Boro runs through May 31 and even if it didn’t, he’s cup-tied.
Bad news, but as expected.
I will try to enjoy the final no matter the result. Go to the pub with some mates, enjoy a few to many beers and be happy that at least we play cup finals regularly.
It’s my understanding that we are in the Community Shield game regardless of Saturday’s result as Chelsea are already the as Premier League Champions.
Mick – If Chelsea win they play the EPL runners up – Spurs.
No. If the chavs win on Saturday then they will play premier league runners up, i.e. sp*rs.
Never in doubt. FA will never do us any favours. That said, not sure what all the fuss is about. We have Mustafi likely back from the plague. he has been excellent this season bedding in from the get go considering Koscielny’s tumultuous first season (Red Cards, Penalties conceded, Own goals remember?) Also Holding can hold down right flank. He isn’t quite as super as many like to big him up to be but he is a talent. Clearly he has made a number of mistakes (Conveniently as per usual ignored by the same crowd) but he is a real… Read more »
I give up.
Are you a spam bot that randomly throws sentences together?
Oh, come on. This one is actually directly related to the content of the article. You’re just having a go out of force of habit!
Nah it’s the sentence structure.
And the fact that nothing ever is wrong even though all 3 first choice CBs
Utter nonsense to suggest the FA are anti-Arsenal. Similar to referees, they’re just generally shit at what they do.
They’ve done us plenty of favours in the last 4 seasons in the FA Cup : 10 home games out of 12 in the three seasons before this one & then non-league clubs in both the 5th & 6th round this season !
Ummmm, home ties and opposition is decided by a random draw, over which the FA has no control. No? Unless I’ve misunderstood the concept.
Bugger
How long do the FA normally take to make a decision? Perhaps we hoped they wouldn’t get together until after Saturday?
There are half a dozen bad refereeing decisions in this and every game. Unfortunately, a straight red for Kos off was not one of them
Liverpool should have conceded a penalty and had a man sent off vs Middlesborough
Our backs are against the wall and all the momentum is with Chelsea. But the thing about cup finals is that no matter what, you can’t really call it, anything can happen. This is the last game we can put our hopes in to try and salvage some happiness this season. COYG, let’s bring that trophy home
Anyone for Welbeck as a left wing back and Nacho in back 3? Worth a try imo as gibbs isn’t much of a threat going forward and Nacho is good in back 3 defensively. Play Sanchez upfront with Iwobi and Ozil to pair him – we’d at least catch Chelsea by surprise! Coq, OG & TW to come in substitutes.
What if we win the FA cup. Then one of those matches is the community shield.