David Luiz has had his red card against Wolves upheld by the FA after an appeal by Arsenal.
The Brazilian was sent off for fouling Willian Jose in the Gunners' 2-1 defeat at Molinuex despite there appearing to be minimal contact. As a result he was suspended for their game agains Aston Villa on Saturday.
Arsenal had stated their intention to appeal referee Craig Pawson's decision on Wednesday after consulting with their legal team on the basis that the small amount of contact and its incidental nature.
Speaking at his press conference ahead of his side's trip to Villa Parl early on Thursday morning Mikel Arteta had insisted that he was confident the decision would be overturned.
"I’m very hopeful," he said.
"That’s why we put the appeal up because we discussed we went through all the images and we think that the red card should be overruled. That’s why we put the appeal.
"We know the law," Arteta went on to add. "For me it’s more about the decision and what happens in that instance.
"There was a very similar incident even though David is behind him, against Manchester United it was, on the side of the player that completely changes the angle of the purpose and how much it affects the players ability to finish the action, but still a similar situation. I think they will look at it."
However, the referee have chosen to uphold the decision to send off Luiz. The decision was also upheld by VAR Jon Moss on the night.
The club confirmed a news in a statement on their official website.
"The Football Association have confirmed to us that the red card given to David Luiz on Tuesday against Wolverhampton Wanderers will stand," read the statement.
"We have worked really hard to overturn David Luiz's red card. We presented our case to the FA but are disappointed that our appeal has been unsuccessful.
"We accept the FA's decision and continue our preparations for Saturday's match against Aston Villa."
The Brazilian will now be unavailable for the Gunners Premier League fixture this weekend, after which he will be able to play against Leeds in the league on February 14th.
