Chelsea captain Reece James faces FA ban after tunnel rage in a match he wasn’t playing in
Chelsea captain Reece James faces an FA charge for allegedly using improper language towards a match official following the Blues’ home defeat to Aston Villa.
James was unavailable for the match due to the hamstring injury he picked up in training. However, the FA allege he directed insulting or abusive words at a referee in the tunnel after the final whistle of Chelsea’s 1-0 loss.
In a Twitter post by the FA Spokesperson, it was revealed that James was charged with a breach of FA Rule E3.
The governing body stated James has until Friday to respond to the charge. While absent on the pitch, his behavior has still landed him in hot water.
The event that may have sparked Reece James‘ frustration was a second-half red card to Chelsea’s Malo Gusto. Referee Jarred Gillett had initially booked the 20-year-old Gusto with a yellow card for a high challenge on Villa’s Lucas Digne. However, after VAR review, the referee upgraded the card to a red and sent Gusto off.
When asked about the incident in a post-match conference(h/t football.london) Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino said he neither saw Gusto’s tackle nor replays.
“Being honest, it was in front of me but I didn’t see and now I still didn’t see. I can’t say it wasn’t a red card, we need to trust in the referees and VAR. Difficult to judge because I didn’t see it.”
Chelsea just can’t seem to catch a break
According to football.london, Gusto now faces a three-match ban for the dismissal, leaving Chelsea short at right-back.
The Blues were already under immense pressure owing to the fact that they have been missing a number of first-team stars due to injury, with James and Christopher Nkunku topping that list. Now Gusto’s dismissal adds to their ever-growing list of concerns which also includes the team’s poor performance in front of goal as they have been unable to score in their last 3 matches.
James has been scheduled to return after the next international break in October, but Chelsea remain cautious about reaggravating his hamstring problem.
If the charge is proven against James, the English international will be facing consequences for losing discipline despite not featuring in the loss. As captain, he must set a higher standard while injured or not
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Chelsea hope to have James back on the pitch shortly where he can channel any anger into positive performances. But he must control himself off the field regardless of results. Pochettino played Marc Cucurella at right-back against Brighton in our 1-0 EFL Cup win earlier today, so maybe that could be a sign of things to come.
Levi Colwill can also deputise in that position.