Why Max Dowman’s Red Card Highlights a Wider Issue in Football
Dowman’s red card against Fleetwood in midweek is indicative of a problem sweeping the English game. Its inability to protect its most gifted players and teenagers is causing increasing harm and Dowman’s red card is the clearest example yet.
Arsenal’s Carabao Cup exit at Fleetwood on Tuesday night will be remembered for the result and an embarrassing penalty shootout defeat to a League Two side. But the image that lingers is of a 16-year-old walking off the pitch, his manager’s eyes and words following him down the tunnel, and a three-match ban waiting at the end of it.
Max Dowman’s red card was, on the letter of the law, justifiable. After a dangerous challenge from Fleetwood’s Harrison Neal (which yielded no punishment), the teenager arguably kicked out. Referee Michael Salisbury waited for order to be restored and then showed the straight red to Dowman. Violent conduct carries a three-game suspension, and because domestic cup bans carry over, it now means he will miss key league games against Liverpool, Hull and Newcastle as Arsenal battle against many attacking injuries. Arsenal did try and lodge an appeal but it was dismissed.
But the letter of the law is not the whole story. It very rarely is and often shows the hypocrisy of such decisions.
The issue that many have had is that the kick out from Dowman, brought the maximum punishment, but the tackle that provoked it drew nothing. Not even a card. Micah Richards speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, was very vocal about the challenge itself from Harrison Neal, and how utterly dangerous it was. Richards believes “if the tackle had been a fraction higher, he [Dowman] breaks his leg”.
Journalist Henry Winter also made a similar point. He accepted that the kick was a red under the Laws, but argued the focus should also be on Neal’s challenge. Winter praised Dowman for not "rolling around" after the unnecessarily forceful tackle, stating that FA should have shown more understanding to the teenager. He then continues on to make another important point, that is at the crux of the issue.
The referee and the FA have a responsibility to protect players. In this case, yet again, they have failed. And even with the chance to rectify it with the appeal, they chose not too.
Arsenal fans will have memories of past players such as Ramsey and Eduardo who both suffered horrific injuries to similar challenges, that mirrored that on Dowman. It's the type of tackle that is intended to not only win the ball but also 'let them know you're there', and to 'leave one on them'. The issue with that, is that one slight mistake in making the challenge can leave the player leaving the field on a stretcher and with an oxygen mask. Dowman was lucky.
And yet, he is the one that is punished. He is the one that is expected to just accept it as part of the game. He is the one that is expected to be okay with players nearly ruining his career.
The pattern is a familiar one for Arsenal fans. A young, exciting prospect who is quicker than his opponent is hacked down repeatedly, with the opponent knowing that the referee will tolerate a high amount of rough treatment, with no punishment. It happened with Bukayo Saka throughout his early Arsenal days, with the club appealing to PGMOL at the time and the referees to get some protection knowing otherwise he will be reap the consequences later on. He now is, as he struggles with injuries more consistently.
There is an uncomfortable irony around the situation. The player who plays the game the right way, who absorbs the knocks and gets up, is the one who ends up suspended and punished.
Importantly, there is also the matter of what it costs a 16-year-old to carry this. Dowman is playing senior football against grown men who have every incentive to test him. He's being asked to deal with abnormally high amounts of physical stress and meet adult standards, all while still developing as a child. Arteta was visibly furious with Dowman after the sending off, which shows how highly he views him. He doesn't see him as a 16-year-old. That can be a good thing and a bad thing. It's important to understand that despite being a 16-year-old, there are still standards and expectations that have to be met when playing for Arsenal.
Arteta hinted that pre match they had discussed the possibility of Dowman being targeted and the importance of not retaliating. Dowman failed with this and hence provoked the reaction from his manger. However, he's still a child, who's been on the end of numerous late challenges, and the final one which could have been career defining. He cannot be held to the same standards as an experienced first teamer.
Referees and the FA have a duty to protect players. It is not a side issue or a nice-to-have, it's the bare minimum. When a challenge arrives with the force and follow-through that Neal’s did, and the referee does nothing, that duty has been abandoned. When the small retaliation is then punished to the full, and the governing body upholds that punishment on appeal, it has been abandoned twice.
It sends a clear message to defenders that a heavy and dangerous challenge carries little risk, and a clear message to young attackers that the safest option is to absorb it and say nothing. That is not protection. It is the opposite.
It is true to say that Dowman must to an extent deal with teams targeting him. It's a compliment to his immense ability and he cannot lash out after every bad challenge. But that doesn't absolve the referees responsibility in ensuring it doesn't get to that point and ensuring that a young, vibrant and talented player is able to flourish in the most competitive league in the world.
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