The English Football Association have released their written reasons as to why Gabriel’s dismissal during Arsenal’s 2-0 defeat to Chelsea was withdrawn.
Gabriel was sent off by referee Mike Dean for a slight kick out at Diego Costa after being provoked by the Chelsea striker following a lengthy confrontation just before half-time.
Arsene Wenger immediately agreed with the decision as he usually does with his no-trouble and no-cause-for-alarm approach. However, seeing the replay after the game, he decided to lodge an appeal.
This appeal was upheld by the FA, much to the anger of Chelsea boss, Jose Mourinho, and they’ve now released their written reasons for withdrawing the red card.
- Arsenal submitted nine video clips, five exhibits and five photographs to support their appeal, and one particular video clip gave a clear view of Gabriel’s ‘kick’ which showed only slight contact with Costa
- Mike Dean claims he witnessed the kick first hand and deemed it worthy of a straight red card
- An independent three-man panel disagreed with Dean and judged Gabriel’s kick didn’t use ‘excessive force or brutality against an opponent‘
- Therefore, the incident fell short of violent conduct as defined by the laws of the game and Gabriel should NOT have been sent off.
This is some good news for Arsenal fans but sadly, the lost point at Stamford Bridge is already gone and cannot be gotten back.