Vermaelen appeal rejected by FA

23 March 2010 15:13
Vermaelen was dismissed in the 2-0 Premier League win at the Emirates Stadium after referee Martin Atkinson judged his foul on Guillermo Franco had prevented a goalscoring opportunity.[LNB]The Football Association heard the claim for wrongful dismissal but decided Atkinson had made the correct call.[LNB]Vermaelen, 24, will now miss Saturday's trip to Birmingham.[LNB]A statement released by the FA read: "At a Regulatory Commission hearing today, a claim for wrongful dismissal from Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen was dismissed.[LNB]"Vermaelen was shown a red card for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity during Arsenal's match against West Ham United on Saturday 20 March.[LNB]"He will now serve a one match suspension with immediate effect."[LNB]Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger must now decide who will replace Vermaelen against Alex McLeish's side.[LNB]William Gallas continues to be sidelined by an ongoing calf strain with Sol Campbell deputising, so Wenger may be forced to turn to veteran Mikael Silvestre to form a partnership that will have a combined age of 67.[LNB]Vermaelen has been a key presence at the Emirates this season, scoring eight goals in 41 appearances.[LNB]The 24-year-old, signed for £10million from Ajax last summer, has proved a brilliant buy as Arsenal chase silverware on two fronts.[LNB]The Gunners sit two points behind leaders Manchester United with seven matches remaining and also face a Champions League quarter-final against Barcelona.[LNB][LNB] Birmingham v Arsenal. Click here to bet.  

Source: Team_Talk