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The Max Dowman ban will stand after an independent commission rejected Arsenal’s appeal against the 16-year-old’s red card in their Carabao Cup defeat at Fleetwood Town. The Football Association confirmed on Thursday that the commission had dismissed claims of both wrongful dismissal and excessive punishment, leaving the teenager suspended for three matches.

He will miss Sunday’s trip to Liverpool, then the games against Hull and Newcastle. Sources differ slightly on how to describe those fixtures, but one report says he will not be available for a top-flight match until 29 November, when Arsenal host Manchester City. The FA said the commission’s written reasons will be published “in due course”, so the logic behind the verdict is not yet public.

What happened at Fleetwood

Referee Michael Salisbury sent Dowman off in the 85th minute on Tuesday. The winger had reacted to a heavy challenge from behind by Fleetwood’s Harrison Neal, and he was shown a red card for violent conduct after kicking out. The match finished 1-1. League Two Fleetwood then beat the Premier League champions 5-3 on penalties. Viktor Gyökeres had levelled after Aaron Loupalo-Bi put the hosts ahead.

The decision split opinion. One report says Dowman did not fully kick out, though his foot did make contact. Arsenal felt the referee had been harsh and argued that Dowman himself could have been seriously hurt by the tackle. The laws of the game define violent conduct as using or attempting to use excessive force or brutality against an opponent when not challenging for the ball, “regardless of whether contact is made”. That wording means the absence of a full kick does not settle the matter. The commission has not yet said how it read the rule.

Arteta’s reaction and a troubling pattern

Mikel Arteta was seen glaring at Dowman as he left the pitch and appeared to say something to him. Afterwards the manager said he had not spoken to the teenager about the incident. He added that the team had been “very clear on the things to respect, the things that emotionally we have to dominate” in their preparation. He also said he would watch the incident back before assessing it.

Paul Merson publicly criticised Arteta’s treatment of the player, saying “He’s a kid”. Ray Parlour called Dowman “a little bit unlucky” and said he must learn from the mistake. There is also a harder fact for the player. This was his second red card this month, after a dismissal playing for England’s Under-19s. That makes the argument that this was a one-off reaction harder to sustain, although the commission’s reasoning on that point remains unknown.

Consistency in how kicking-out incidents are punished is also part of the debate. One report notes that Phil Foden was sent off for kicking out at Bruno Fernandes in the Manchester derby this season, while Cole Palmer escaped a red card after crashing into Matheus Fernandes in Chelsea’s defeat to Tottenham.

A stretched Arsenal wing

The timing is awkward for Arsenal. Bukayo Saka, Christos Tzolis and Noni Madueke are all injured, and Dowman was making only his second start of the season at Fleetwood. Arteta made nine changes for that game, and Ødegaard came on at half-time as Arsenal struggled to find rhythm.

The Max Dowman ban therefore removes another wide option just as Arsenal head to Anfield. It also keeps a teenager who has had limited game time out of league action for close to a month. Fleetwood, meanwhile, go into the first quarter-final in their history, at home to Everton or Newcastle. Arsenal’s focus is now on how they cover the flank, and on whether the commission’s written reasons shed any light on a decision that has divided supporters and pundits.

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Everton have made an example of Jack Grealish, and the timing could hardly be worse for a player whose Manchester City contract runs out at the end of this season. The 31-year-old was left out of the squad for the Carabao Cup tie against Newcastle United after missing Monday’s training session without permission.

The club chose to announce the reason itself. Alongside its team news on X, Everton said Grealish was “unavailable for selection due to a breach of club discipline.” Clubs usually pass off such absences as tactical or leave them unexplained, so the public statement signalled how seriously Everton took the lapse.

How the Jack Grealish decision was made

According to the Guardian, the decision was taken by manager David Moyes together with chief executive Angus Kinnear. BBC Sport reports it was made at a high level within the club, with Moyes’s full support. Grealish is expected to be fined. He has since returned to training at Finch Farm and has held talks with club officials.

Moyes would not elaborate after the match. “It’s a club decision and I support it,” he said, before talking about Everton’s values and the humility of his side. He did not name Grealish in those remarks, but the message was hard to miss. The Independent noted that Moyes named two goalkeepers among the substitutes rather than a spare outfield player.

A loan that has yet to catch fire

The episode lands on an already uneven season. Grealish rejoined Everton on a season-long loan on transfer deadline day, arriving in a white Lamborghini and greeting fans until the early hours. Moyes had only 18 senior players after a troubled window, and the signing was meant to be a lift. Everton reportedly paid about £12m in total for last season’s loan and are paying a similar sum this time.

The Independent reports Grealish has made six appearances without scoring. He started four successive games before missing the weekend defeat at Arsenal through illness. He was expected back against Newcastle, but the training-ground absence ruled that out.

Everton coped without him

Everton won 3-1, and BBC Sport described it as arguably their best display of the season. The left flank, where Grealish might have played, went to 20-year-old Tyrique George, whose more direct approach suited the performance. The win sets up a quarter-final at League Two Fleetwood Town, who knocked out Arsenal in the previous round.

That success complicates Grealish’s route back. Moyes is short of options and cannot afford to cast out a player who can change a game, and BBC Sport says Everton do not see this as a “last chance saloon” moment. But the team has shown it can win without him.

What comes next for Jack Grealish

BBC Sport says there have been occasional time-keeping issues before, but nothing on this scale, and that he is generally seen as a hard trainer who looks after himself. He remains popular with supporters, who see him as one of their own. Britain’s first £100m footballer when he joined City from Aston Villa in 2021, and a key member of City’s 2023 Treble-winning side, he is now trying to rebuild a career that has slowed since.

With his deal at City ending and Everton’s patience tested, the coming weeks matter. Jack Grealish needs to show Moyes and the fans that Monday was a one-off, and that the talent still on show in flashes can become consistent contributions.

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Downing Street has stopped short of endorsing a Kane knighthood, but its warm words after the England captain’s Ballon d’Or win have fuelled the speculation. Kane collected the award at the London Palladium on Monday night. He is the first Englishman to win it in 25 years, and the first since Michael Owen in 2001.

Asked on Tuesday whether Prime Minister Andy Burnham would like to see Kane become “Sir Harry”, his spokesperson called the win “an extraordinary achievement” and said Kane had “given an enormous amount to English football”. She added that she would not “pre-empt the honours process”. It was a careful answer, and one that left the door open.

Why a Kane knighthood is not Burnham’s call

The prime minister cannot simply hand out a knighthood. Ministers and government departments can put names to the honours committee, as can members of the public. The sport committee includes the broadcaster Sue Barker and Robert Sullivan, chief executive of the Football Foundation. Number 10’s reluctance to say more is partly about protecting that process.

Timing may also count against Kane. Footballers have often had to wait until retirement for a knighthood. Kane already holds an MBE, awarded after England reached the 2018 World Cup semi-finals. Sir David Beckham and Sir Gareth Southgate were both knighted last year, and before them the most recent football knight was Sir Kenny Dalglish.

A mixed record for England’s Ballon d’Or winners

Winning the Ballon d’Or has not guaranteed a knighthood. Sir Stanley Matthews won the inaugural award 70 years ago, and Sir Bobby Charlton also went on to be knighted. Owen and Kevin Keegan, however, never were. Kane is the fifth Englishman to win the award.

Some MPs want to see him join that list. Rosena Allin-Khan, Labour MP for Tooting, told The Standard she hoped Kane would join “the pantheon of England’s footballing knights”. Clive Efford, the Labour MP for Eltham and Chislehurst, said Kane should be honoured “when his career is over”. He also called it a “travesty” that Bobby Moore never received a knighthood.

The season behind the award

The case rests on a remarkable 2025-26. Kane, 33, scored 73 goals for club and country, won two trophies with Bayern Munich and led England to third place at the World Cup. That was enough to beat Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé and Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal.

The ceremony itself was emotional. Brazil’s Ronaldo, one of Kane’s boyhood idols, read out his name. Kane spoke on stage for more than ten minutes and thanked his wife, Katie Goodland. “This is a trophy that we celebrate, not me,” he said, and he spoke of wanting to retain the award next year. England manager Thomas Tuchel said he had “run out of superlatives” for Kane’s performances. Spain’s Alexia Putellas won the women’s award for a record-equalling third time.

What comes next

Downing Street also looked ahead. It hoped the award would be a prelude to a trophy for England “before too long”. That appears to be a nod to the 2028 European Championship, which England will co-host with Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland.

No formal recommendation has been announced, and nothing suggests one is imminent. For now the Kane knighthood remains a matter of public debate. Many supporters will want it to come after he has added the international trophy that has so far eluded him.

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England’s tri-series exit was confirmed in Lahore on Tuesday when Sri Lanka dismissed Pakistan for 110 and chased the target down in just 18.1 overs, leaving Harry Brook’s side with three defeats from three and no route to Saturday’s final.

England had needed Pakistan to win to keep their hopes alive. Instead, Pakistan’s batters folded in 25.3 overs, and Sri Lanka’s eight-wicket victory put them into the final against the hosts. Thursday’s meeting between England and Sri Lanka at the Gaddafi Stadium is now a dead rubber.

Madushanka Does the Damage

Left-arm quick Dilshan Madushanka took a career-best 5-34 after captain Kusal Mendis won the toss and chose to field. Fakhar Zaman fell for five, caught at point off a short ball. Asitha Fernando then trapped Maaz Sadaqat lbw with a yorker, and Saad Baig chipped a catch to short cover as Pakistan slipped to 46-3.

Babar Azam top-scored with 29 but wasted a review when he was plainly lbw to Eshan Malinga. Shadab Khan, who had made an unbeaten 113 to win Sunday’s match against England, lasted five balls. By the time Madushanka returned for a second spell, Pakistan were 64-6, and he removed Hasan Nawaz, Harris Rauf and captain Shaheen Shah Afridi to finish the innings.

It was Pakistan’s second-lowest ODI total at home. Only the 75 all out against Sri Lanka in Lahore in 2009 was worse. Four of their top five made single figures. “Unfortunately, for the last three or four games we are collapsing at the top order,” Afridi said, adding that the team had three days to practise before the final.

A Brisk Chase

Kamindu Mendis made the chase look routine. He was dropped before he had scored and survived an lbw decision on 44 by successful review. He finished unbeaten on 62 from 60 balls, with eight fours and two sixes. His fifty came with a pull for six, after a substitute fielder had touched the boundary while completing a catch. Pavan Rathnayake, who hit a century in Sri Lanka’s record-chasing win in Rawalpindi, added an unbroken 52 with him and finished on 23 not out.

The floodlight towers were not yet fully on when the winning runs came. “We bowled really well in the powerplay,” Kusal Mendis said, though he added that there were still areas to improve.

What the England Tri-Series Exit Means

The England tri-series exit stings because England had rebuilt some one-day momentum this year, with wins away in Sri Lanka and at home against India and Sri Lanka. In Pakistan, though, they failed to chase 303 despite being 120-1, and they lost twice in extraordinary fashion. In one game, Sri Lanka chased 430 against them, the second-highest successful chase in ODI history. On Sunday, Pakistan won by one wicket after a last-wicket stand of 89.

Conditions at next year’s World Cup in southern Africa will be very different, so the results are not a direct guide. Still, after a poor 2023 World Cup defence and a winless Champions Trophy last year, three more defeats are an unwelcome result.

Pakistan finished the league stage on six points from three wins, with Sri Lanka on four. England will play their last game on Thursday, with first ball at 8am UK time. They then travel to Australia for three ODIs and five T20s from 13 November, preceded by a warm-up against a Western Australia XI in Perth on 7 November. That tour now offers their next chance to put the Lahore defeats behind them.

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A drone delay of roughly eight minutes interrupted Fleetwood Town’s Carabao Cup fourth-round tie with Arsenal on Tuesday night, after an unauthorised aircraft was spotted hovering above the pitch at Highbury Stadium.

What happened during the drone delay

According to the Independent, referee Michael Salisbury stopped the game in the eighth minute and took the players off the field as a safety precaution. Fleetwood, the home side, confirmed that the drone was not one they recognised, meaning it had no permission to be there.

Salisbury did not act alone. He spoke with both managers and the ground safety officer while the aircraft was still overhead. Play resumed only once the drone had flown out of the stadium’s airspace, and the match restarted after a pause of about eight minutes. The sources do not say who was operating the drone or why it was there.

A tie already loaded with significance

The interruption came in a fixture that was already drawing attention. League Two Fleetwood were the lowest-ranked side left in the competition. The Standard reports they had knocked out three opponents without conceding a goal to reach this stage, and The Sporting News notes the Fishermen had never before made it this far. A win would send them into the quarter-finals for the first time in their history.

Arsenal, beaten finalists last season, were widely expected to progress. Mikel Arteta made nine changes from the weekend’s 2-0 win over Everton, with one eye on Sunday’s Premier League meeting with Liverpool. Max Dowman started, Ilan Meslier made his competitive debut, and Martin Zubimendi returned wearing a protective face mask after a bloodied nose against Everton.

Fleetwood strike after the restart

If the drone delay unsettled anyone, it was not the hosts. Aaron Loupalo-Bi put Fleetwood ahead in the 21st minute, and the Standard’s live coverage had them 1-0 up at half-time. Arsenal pushed for an equaliser late in the first half, and Timber headed wide from a free-kick in stoppage time. Fleetwood held the lead at the break.

The sources available only run to the interval, so the final result is not covered here. What they do establish is that a safety-first decision by the referee cost the match about eight minutes and left the contest otherwise unchanged. The pause also showed how seriously officials take unauthorised drones at live matches. Salisbury cleared the pitch, consulted the managers and the safety officer, and restarted only when the airspace was clear.

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While the Victoria Derby garners significant attention, the sprint race for three-year-olds is shaping up as one of the most keenly awaited events of the Melbourne Spring Carnival.

The Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) at Flemington this Saturday is poised to bring together a formidable collection of colts and fillies aiming to build their reputations for a potential career at stud.

A jump-out involving seven horses at Flemington on Friday provided an indication of some of the runners set to compete in Saturday’s 1200m dash down the famous Flemington straight.

Participants in the 800m jump-out included The Next Episode, Paradoxium, St Gotthard, Natural Fling, and Under Focus, with Paradoxium comfortably crossing the line ahead of his rivals.

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Champion trainer Chris Waller, whose colt St Gotthard finished in third place, emphasized that the session was about gaining experience.

“Experience, that is what it was all about,” Waller stated. “St Gotthard is a relatively lightly raced horse. It was a really good run in the Golden Rose and since then he’s been set for this race.”

“He’s had a quiet trial in Sydney and then the jump-out and it’s all systems go for the big one next week. This is the real pinnacle for a three-year-old colt that hopefully can really stamp themselves as a stallion, and that is what the Coolmore team is all about. He started his two-year-old career late and made an impact straight away. He’s come back really well at three and he’s ready to peak here on Derby Day.”

Waller has an impressive record in the Coolmore Stud Stakes, having secured the win on six occasions, with Switzerland being his most recent triumph in 2024.

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From the outset, Waller has been struck by St Gotthard’s exceptional quality.

“He’s got speed and talent, and James McDonald has been impressed with him right from day one,” Waller commented. “That tells me he’s got the ability and it’s just about bringing it all together and making sure he’s ready to peak.”

Ciaron Maher, aiming for his first Coolmore Stud Stakes victory, watched as The Next Episode finished fifth, in a group, behind the dominant winner Paradoxium.

The Next Episode has been specifically targeted for this Group 1 sprint since his victory at the Gold Coast in May, and followed this with a first-up win in the Danehill Stakes (1100m) at Flemington on October 3.

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Maher, in line with Waller, brought The Next Episode to Flemington to enhance its experience ahead of next Saturday’s race.

“It’s been his aim all the way along,” Maher said. “He was great here the other day and he had a look down the straight before that. It’s a month between runs and he had a nice (on) bridle hit out, and he should present pretty close to spot on.”

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Morkel’s advice to the players is to “Stand near a powerful fan to counter the speedy wind”

The wind at Wellington’s Basin Reserve can change direction without warning, making it a challenging venue for visiting teams. India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel has offered a simple piece of advice to the Test specialists yet to arrive in New Zealand: prepare to deal with the strong winds before stepping onto the field.India will play a two-match Test series against New Zealand after the ongoing T20I and ODI series. The first Test is scheduled to begin at the Basin Reserve in Wellington on November 18.Morkel’s advice to the players is to “Stand near a powerful fan to counter the speedy wind”, which has troubled visiting teams at the venue for years.“We’ve spoken about Wellington, especially before the start of the tour, and we’ve planted those seeds. I spoke to some of the boys who were back in India last night, and they asked what the conditions are like. I said, ‘Make sure you get a very strong fan at home. When you walk into the fan that is going to be your preparation’,” Morkel said ahead of India’s third T20 International.The Indian team is currently in Wellington, New Zealand’s capital, which is also known as “Windy Wellington”. Wind speeds reached 120 kmph on Monday.Although the third T20I against the Black Caps is scheduled for Tuesday, Morkel and head coach Gautam Gambhir are already looking ahead to the challenges the team could face in the Test series.“This wind is a different beast. I was in the hotel this morning and the whole building was sort of shaking. So I think it’s going to be a new sort of thing that we add to our books for the guys to get used to and accustomed to with a quick turnaround,” Morkel said.He added that India would need to face the conditions without making excuses, as the wind could affect several aspects of the game, including a batter’s stance and position at the crease.“For us, it is looking forward to that challenge and taking it head-on and not really making excuses. This wind can impact a lot of things, it can impact batting, your stance, your crease, it can impact many factors,” Morkel said.The former South Africa fast bowler has experienced the conditions at the Basin Reserve during his playing career. He said adjusting to the wind in just a few days of training was difficult, making it important for players to approach the challenge with the right mindset.“When I toured here with South Africa, we had certain ways that we went about trying to get used to it. I don’t think you can ever get used to it in the space of two, three, or four days. So it comes down to how you’re going to frame the whole situation: you’re either going to see it as a challenge, or you’re going to see it as a negative and let it down.“Hopefully, we can get those guys in a mental space where they look forward to that challenge. At the end of the day, you need somebody to put their hand up and bowl into the wind, because we can’t have four guys bowling off the wind.”New Zealand all-rounder Michael Bracewell is also aware of the problems the conditions can create for visiting teams. He said the hosts would look to make the most of any discomfort their opponents experience.Bracewell pointed out that wind behaves differently at enclosed stadiums, where it can swirl and change direction, compared with more open grounds such as the Basin Reserve.“It is interesting. At closed stadiums, it swirls around a bit, so it’s probably not as consistent as it is when you play in a slightly more open field like the Basin. We had one game here where the cameras got turned off from one end because it was so windy,” Bracewell said.However, he also sees dealing with different conditions as an important part of international cricket, where teams must adapt to the challenges they encounter around the world.“So that’s the joy of playing here is you get faced with different conditions, and that’s the great thing about international cricket. You go all around the world and have to deal with different things.“So it swirls a bit in the stadium, so it’s not necessarily that there’s going to be one end that perhaps if we’re playing in an open sort of stadium that you could target.

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