Diego Costa’s antics on Saturday incurred the wrath of many Arsenal fans, for not only provoking Gabriel into a decision which would ultimately cost the north London side the match, but for showing the truly ugly side to football that can be exploited by a malicious few.
Bar their second loss of the Premier League season, Arsenal face the possibility of being without the Brazilian at the back for three games – although Gabriel was already on a yellow, Mike Dean adjudged his sly kick to be worthy of a straight red and the ban that accompanies it. While some fans wish for retrospective action on Costa, perhaps more important is to make sure Gabriel is available for important games against in-form Leicester City and Manchester United.
The Guardian’s Dominic Fifield points to the example of Nemanja Matic’s red card being rescinded – in an almost parallel case to Gabriel’s, Matic’s ban was reduced to two games after he retaliated to a vile challenge from the opposition, as his “level of force” was not deemed worthy of such a length of ban. Similarly, Gabriel’s kick was minor, and some argue that in the context of the game, perhaps even a yellow would not be warranted. Nonetheless, it appears likely that, depending on Mike Dean’s match report, his ban will be reduced by at least one game.
This may be especially true if the FA choose to persecute Costa – Fifield notes that his (red card) offence on Kosicleny “effectively provoked the clash with Gabriel”; we could see a complete turnaround of bans.
Arsene Wenger was obviously, perhaps rightfully, annoyed after the game, where he labelled Costa a “disgrace” in his post-match interview, a statement Kurt Zouma wholeheartedly confirms, before calling referee MikeDean “naive” for playing into his hands.
