Gunners to appeal Vermaelen dismissal

ARSENAL have appealed against the red card shown to Thomas Vermaelen in Saturday’s match against West Ham.

Defender Vermaelen was ordered off shortly before half-time for bringing down Guillermo Franco inside the penalty area.

Arsenal were leading 1-0 and went on to win 2-0, with West Ham’s Alessandro Diamanti missing the penalty which followed Vermaelen’s dismissal.

A statement from the FA said: “The FA has received a claim for wrongful dismissal from Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen.

“Vermaelen was shown a red card for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity during Arsenal’s match against West Ham United.

“A regulatory commission will hear the claim on Tuesday 23 March.”

Elsewhere Gunners striker Robin van Persie has confirmed that he is now “medically fit” and will return to training this week following his long injury lay-off.

The striker has been recuperating in Holland since he damaged ankle ligaments in November and in an interview on Dutch television, van Persie confirmed he will be back training with Arsenal this week.

Van Persie said on the “Studio Voetbal” programme that he was “medically fit” and that he has “left a difficult period behind.”

He added: “For a few weeks now I have trained with the ball. It looks good.”

He also said that he hopes to bolster Arsene Wenger’s squad by playing in the crucial Premier League run-in and Champions League bid, stressing: “That’s been my goal from the beginning.”

Another Gunner to return to the club last week was Aaron Ramsey, who was able to walk unaided as he caught up with his team-mates, despite the horror of his leg break at Stoke three weeks ago.

Revealed Wenger: “He has been encouraged to walk without crutches and he is doing that. The recovery is going as well as you could hope for at this stage of the injury. He is, of course, impatient as anybody would be in his position. But we have had no bad surprises. Until now, everything has been going to plan.”

Meanwhile Barcelona forward Thierry Henry has admitted he is not relishing the Champions League quarter-final tie against his former team Arsenal.

Henry became a legend in north London after eight trophy-laden years with the Gunners and is set to face them for the first time since leaving for Barca in 2007.

The France striker, 32, concedes the first leg of the last-eight tie at the Emirates on March 31 will be particularly difficult.

He said: “I’m not saying I won’t try to fight or whatever because that’s the way the game is. But I don’t want to play against Arsenal.

“It will be weird for me to step on the pitch, even if it’s at the Emirates and not Highbury, with another shirt on.”

When asked if he would celebrate a goal, he added: “Forget about it. No. I do not want to play against Arsenal, simple as that.’’