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Gabriel free to face Spurs after Chelsea red card withdrawn by FA

By on September 22, 2015

arsenal gabriel paulista

Arsenal have successfully appealed against Gabriel’s red card following his dismissal against Chelsea on Saturday, the FA have confirmed this evening.

Gabriel was sent off following a clash with Diego Costa just before half time when he first received a yellow card before being shown a straight red for an apparent ‘kick’ at the striker.

However, after reviewing video evidence the club decided to appeal the decision as there appeared to be minimal contact with the Spanish international.

It looks like the FA have agreed as they’ve released a statement this evening confirming our appeal has been upheld, meaning the three-match suspension has been withdrawn with immediate effect.

A statement on thefa.com said:

Arsenal’s claim of wrongful dismissal in relation to Gabriel has been upheld following an Independent Regulatory Commission hearing.

The player’s three-match suspension has, therefore, been withdrawn with immediate effect.

Gabriel was dismissed for violent conduct during the game against Chelsea on Saturday [19 September 2015].

The player is currently subject to a separate FA charge of improper conduct in relation to Saturday’s game and has until 6pm on Thursday [24 September 2015] to reply.

Gabriel is still facing a separate charge for improper conduct for his behaviour following his sending off, but surely his reaction has now been justified given the FA have admitted he shouldn’t have been dismissed in the first place?

Despite this, I still fully expect Gabriel to be slapped with at least a one-match ban but that hearing won’t take place until Thursday so he’s free to face Tottenham tomorrow night.

It’s obviously great news that Gabriel’s red has been rescinded but it doesn’t give us back the 1-3 points we would have got had he stayed on the field and Costa been sent off – as he should have been.