The important Match Incidents panel for the Premier League said that referee Chris Kavanagh “had no choice” but to send off Declan Rice for Arsenal against Brighton.
Because he was sent off, Rice will not be able to go to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
The English playmaker had already been given a yellow card when the second half began.
After stopping Joel Veltman from taking a quick free kick, he got a second yellow card.
Even though Rice only barely touched the ball, Kavanagh thought that was enough to say that he had intentionally slowed down his opponent.
Now, everyone on the panel agrees with the decision: “Rice knows what he’s doing—it’s a light touch, but the referee has no choice once he sees it.”
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