According to journalist Matt Law, Chelsea’s captain, Reece James, has received a one-match ban from the Football Association (FA) after admitting to misconduct.
This comes after he confronted referee Jarred Gillett and used inappropriate language towards him in the tunnel after Chelsea’s 1-0 loss to Aston Villa last month.
The incident occurred after Chelsea had a player, Malo Gusto, filling in for James at right back, controversially sent off during the match for a second-half foul on Lucas Digne.
During the match, the on-field referee, Gillett, initially gave Gusto a yellow card for his challenge but later changed it to a red card after reviewing the incident on the sideline monitor.
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Chelsea went on to lose the game, and Aston Villa capitalized on their numerical advantage, with Ollie Watkins scoring his first Premier League goal of the season.
Reece James has been given a one-match ban by the FA – effective for Chelsea's game against Burnley, which there is every chance he might have missed through injury
— Matt Law (@Matt_Law_DT) October 4, 2023
The game was also marked by controversy as Gillett upset Chelsea’s head coach Mauricio Pochettino, the players, and the home fans by ending the first half early despite announcing three minutes of added time.
James didn’t play in the match due to an injury but was on the bench along with other unavailable players.
The English star will serve a suspension, causing him to miss Chelsea’s upcoming match against Burnley. However, he would have been unavailable for that game anyway due to his ongoing injury recovery.
In addition to his suspension, the defender has been fined £90,000 by the FA for using insulting or abusive language towards a match official.
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Despite his absence, Chelsea should manage without their captain as they’ve recently secured two consecutive wins in various competitions, a rare feat for them this season.
Pochettino’s team is still developing, but they are starting to show potential, suggesting that there may be brighter days ahead for the Blues, who have been facing challenges recently.
