Arsenal lose appeal over red card shown to Thomas Vermaelen

Arsenal's appeal over the red card shown to Thomas Vermaelen during the 2-0 win against West Ham United on Saturday has been rejected by the Football Association. The 24-year-old was sent off for a foul on Guillermo Franco that the referee Martin Atkinson ruled had denied the West Ham striker a goal-scoring opportunity. Alessandro Diamanti took the resulting penalty but saw it saved by Manuel Almunia in the Arsenal goal. Vermaelen is now suspended for his side's match with Birmingham City on Saturday. The absence is a significant blow for the Arsenal manager, Arsène Wenger, who is already without William Gallas, Vermaelen's defensive partner, for the trip to St Andrew's because of a long-term calf injury.