**Mikel Arteta says he is “very disappointed” Arsenal’s appeal against Max Dowman’s red card was rejected, insisting the 16-year-old’s reaction was minimal compared to the challenge he had received moments earlier.**
Dowman was sent off against Fleetwood Town and will now serve a three-match suspension after [Arsenal failed to overturn the decision with their appeal](https://hayters.com/arsenal-have-dowman-red-card-appeal-rejected-with-youngster-handed-three-game-ban/).
“Very disappointed, to be fair,” Arteta said.
“Especially with the reckless tackles that he received, and then his reaction is minimal in relation to the action.
“Disappointed that it’s not been overturned after looking at the action back, to be fair.”
Arteta believes the context surrounding the incident should also have been taken into account.
“It is what it is,” he said.
“We have put every argument on the table to make a case for it.
“Not only the action, obviously, that it’s evident, and when you look it back in slow motion, the previous action and Max’s action, it’s clear that obviously we have a very different opinion.
“And on top of that, I think you have to read the context of the player, the age, and what happened previously.”
The Arsenal boss also claimed Dowman was fortunate to avoid a more serious injury from the preceding challenge.
“It could have been really bad, yeah,” Arteta said.
“And we are lucky today that he hasn’t had a broken foot. That’s clear.”
Arteta also defended his own reaction to the sending off, explaining that the type of situation that led to the red card had already been discussed with Dowman before the game.
“My reaction comes in a moment of heat and extreme frustration, because I know the consequences of that, especially for Max,” he said.
“It’s something that we discussed just before we went out, because it’s not the first time that happened.
“It happened another time this month with England. And it will continue to happen, unfortunately, because the way he plays and the way he attracts opponents.
“We need to be able to tell each other the things as they are, because he’s 16, and we have to be very protective of him. But at the same time very straight with him with what to expect from him towards the team, the individuals and the club.”
Arteta confirmed there are no issues between himself and Dowman following the incident.
“I had a talk with him yesterday. No issues at all,” he said.
“We have made those mistakes. You know how much you can get punished and how much it can change what happens next and it’s not the first time, so obviously we need to put an end to it very, very quickly.”
The Arsenal boss also stressed that Dowman must learn to deal with setbacks despite his age.
“When you play for Arsenal, you’re going to have highs and lows,” Arteta said.
“You have to be prepared for that. It doesn’t matter the age.
“So don’t feel sorry for yourself. That happened. Those things happen. Make sure that you are humble enough to recognise that and to learn from it and work on it.
“He has the talent, he has the will and he has the capacity and the brain to do it. No question about that.”
Arteta was also unapologetic about demanding high standards from Dowman despite his age.
“I haven’t seen the reaction to my reaction, whether it is positive or negative. Dan mentioned it about it. 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.
“But I don’t know. You can have a lot of reactions. If you see the reaction of my father and my mother with me, someday you will say, I don’t like the reaction. For me, it was the best reaction ever to be able to be who I am. But you want to always see the best reaction and the beautiful one.
“You want to see the reaction of his team-mates? When they have to play with ten, you want to see that? What do you expect? I don’t know. And the England ones, they are his age, 16, the same. What is their reaction? That’s the reaction. That’s the level and that’s the reaction. And whether it is right or wrong, that’s the reaction.
“But the reaction when I don’t win, you know what the reaction is? I’m pissed off, big time. So we need to be ready for that. This is the environment and this is the reality. Otherwise, we are in Disneyland. We are not in Disneyland. We are in the Premier League at this level and we look after him so much that you cannot imagine.
“But at the same time, we’re going to demand him like to anybody else because he needs to earn the right to play. Otherwise, the rest of the boys, what are they going to tell me? You need to be fair. Let’s go.”