An independent panel has come to a unanimous decision over Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice’s controversial red card against Brighton.
Rice, 25, was sent off by referee Chris Kavanagh in the Premier League match at the Emirates on August 31, which ended as a 1-1 draw.
Already on a yellow card, Rice received a second booking for rolling the ball away from Joel Veltman, who then kicked through the England international as he looked to take a quick free-kick in the 49th minute of the match.
Rice was left incensed by the red card, the first of his career, with the resulting one-match ban ruling him out of Saturday’s north London derby against Tottenham.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta voiced his anger at Kavanagh and the other officials in his post-match interview.
“I was amazed. Amazed, amazed, amazed because of how inconsistent decisions can be,” said Arteta.
“In the first half, there are two incidents and nothing happens. Then, in a non-critical area, the ball hits Declan, he turns around, he doesn’t see the player coming and he touches the ball.
“By law, he can make that call, but then by law he needs to make the next call, which is a red card so we play 10 vs 10. This is what amazed me. At this level it’s amazing.”
However, the Key Match Incidents (KMI) panel – which reviews the major refereeing decisions in the Premier League each week – has ruled that Kavanagh was right to send off Rice.
The panel deemed Rice’s actions were “clear, deliberate and impactful” and a second yellow card was the correct decision.
The panel, which unanimously backed the referee, added: “Rice knows what he’s doing – it’s a gentle touch, but once the referee sees it he has no choice.”
Arsenal’s Declan Rice was sent off against Brighton (Image: Getty)
The KMI panel is independent and made up of three former players or coaches, one Premier League representative and one from the referees’ body, the Professional Game Match Officials Board (PGMOL).
Rice, who is expected to feature for England against Finland on Tuesday night, is now set to miss Arsenal’s trip to Tottenham this weekend.
He could make his return in the Gunners’ first Champions League match of the new season against Atalanta on September 19.