The Frenchman will now spend three games on the sidelines after the FA dismissed the club’s claim that his tackle in Saturday’s clash with Fulham was not worthy of a red card

Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud has been banned for three matches after an Independent Regulatory Commission rejected his claim for wrongful dismissal following his red card against Fulham.

Giroud was dismissed for serious foul play during his side’s game against Fulham at Craven Cottage on Saturday 20 April 2013 and the player’s three match suspension will now commence with immediate effect.

The French striker caught the ankle of Fulham’s Stanislav Manolev when stretching for the ball and referee Andre Marriner, who had already sent off Steve Sidwell after 12 minutes for the home side, duly sent the Gunners star down the tunnel.

The first game Giroud will miss is the visit of Manchester United to the Emirates this Sunday which will be United’s first outing since securing their 20th league title with a 3-0 win against Aston Villa on Monday night.

The news will come as a blow to the Gunners who will now be without a recognised centre-forward for their games against United, Queens Park Rangers and Wigan. Theo Walcott, Lukas Podolski and Gervinho have all played as strikers in the past but have generally been deployed out wide this season.

Arsene Wenger’s side lie third in the table but have just a point more than Chelsea in third having played a game more than the Blues as they seek to secure Champions League football for another season.