ARSENAL have successfully appealed the red card issued to teenager, Myles Lewis-Skelly, during Saturday’s 1-0 victory over Wolves at Molineux.
The decision, made by referee Michael Oliver and upheld by VAR Darren England during the match, has now been overturned by an independent Regulatory Commission.
The Gunners youngster was sent off at Molienux for a challenge on Matt Doherty, with VAR revealing that the challenge reached the threshold for ‘serious foul play’.
Arsenal lodged an appeal in the aftermath of the controversial decision, with boss Mikel Arteta being left furious. And following an independent review, Lewis-Skelly has been told he is now available for any future Premier League matches after the decision was overturned.
The defender, who has flown to Spain for Arsenal’s Champions League clash with Girona, is now available for Arsenal’s upcoming games against Manchester City, Newcastle and Leicester.
An FA statement read: “An independent Regulatory Commission has upheld a claim of wrongful dismissal in relation to Myles Lewis-Skelly and removed his three-match suspension.
“The Arsenal player was sent off for serious foul play during their Premier League fixture against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, 25 January 2025.”
Speaking after Arsenal’s win against Wolves, Boss Arteta struggled to hide his disgust. He said: “It is that clear that I leave it to you guys. I am absolutely fuming but I leave it with you. Because it is that obvious. I don’t think my words are going to help.”
Asked if he’d had an explanation from match officials, Arteta replied: “No.”
Further probed on if his side planned on lodging an appeal, he replied: “That’s for the club to decide what the best decision is. I think it’s that obvious, maybe we don’t even need to. [Lewis-Skelly] is really happy now that the team won and we found a way to win it.”
But he has been left delighted by the appeal decision. Areteta said: “Yeah, obviously really happy that the decision has been made and Myles is going to be available for us.”
Meanwhile, there have also been some dire consequences for referee Michael Oliver in the face of the decision. He has faced abuse and death threats on social media, with the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) and Premier League both responding strongly.
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A statement from the Premier League read: “The Premier League strongly condemns the threats and abuse directed at Michael Oliver/ No official should be subject to any form of abuse. We will continue to support Michael, PGMOL and all investigations.”
Meanwhile, the PGMOL said: “We are appalled by the threats and abuse directed at Michael Oliver following the Wolverhampton Wanderers v Arsenal fixture. No official should be subject to any form of abuse, let alone the abhorrent attacks aimed at Michael and his family over the past 24 hours.
“The police are aware, and a number of investigations have commenced. We are supporting Michael, and all those affected, and are determined to tackle this unacceptable behaviour. Sadly, this is not the first time a match official has been forced to deal with threats in recent times. We will continue to support all investigations.”
And Arteta has appealed for an end to any abuse. He added: “The same, every time I talk about that topic, a player, a coach, it doesn’t matter. We have to try hard to eradicate it from the game. To everybody in football. It certainly damages our sport. So, let’s get it out.”
