Branislav Ivanovic will not face any action over his choke, throttle and headbutt on James McCarthy during last night’s game, but The FA have charged both Everton and Chelsea for failing to control their players following the altercation that occurred after Gareth Barry’s sending off.
The decision went to a three man panel who did not deem it a sending off offence! They obviously didn’t see the same incident. In some images it even looked as if Ivanovic was trying to bite McCarthy.
A statement from the FA has explained the thinking behind the decision to let the matter lie…
“In Premier League matches, if an incident has not been seen by the match officials, a three-man panel of former elite referees will be asked by The FA to review it and advise what, if any, action they believe the match referee should have taken had it been witnessed at the time.
“For an FA charge to follow, all three panel members must agree it is a sending-off offence. In this instance, the panel did not believe the conduct was worthy of a dismissal.”
Charges for both clubs, though, following that incident – if this season’s other examples are anything to go by fines and/or warnings are the likeliest punishment if Everton and Chelsea are found guilty. Here’s the FA statement…
“Both Chelsea and Everton have been charged by The FA for failing to ensure their players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion and/or refrained from provocative behaviour.
“It follows an incident in the 86th minute of Wednesday night’s game at Stamford Bridge. Both clubs have until 6pm on 17 February 2015 to respond to the charge.”