Chelsea and Leicester City charged by FA for misconduct during Premier League clash
Chelsea and Leicester City have been charged by the FA following a tussle between both sets of players in the dying moments of the game. The Football Association has decided to charge both Chelsea and Leicester City for "failing to control their players."
Chelsea sought revenge over Leicester City, against whom they lost the FA Cup final just 3 days prior to their Premier League clash. The Blues won the game 2-1. But that wasn't the main talking point at the full-time whistle.
Along with the players, staff at both clubs were involved in the touchline chaos, forcing the FA to take retrospective measures for the same.
What happened in the dying moments of the game betweeen Chelsea and Leicester City?
Leicester City were looking for a late equalizer against Chelsea. Ricardo Pereira then fouled Chelsea's Ben Chilwell. It orchestrated a tussle between the players which even saw goalkeepers Edouard Mendy and Kasper Schmeichel and the club's staff get involved in the fight.
Referee Mike Dean booked Ricardo Pereira and Daniel Amartey and finally calmed things down. Chelsea held on for an important win which saw them boost their Champions League qualification hopes.
The brawl had a lot to do with Leicester City's post FA Cup final win celebrations. Midfielder Daniel Amartey was seen throwing away Chelsea's pennant, which did not go down well with the Chelsea players.
Chelsea defender Antonio Rüdiger accused Leicester players of being disrespectful towards their opponents. Speaking to Chelsea TV, Rudiger said:
"Congratulations to them, they won [in the FA Cup final], celebrate and everything. But don’t disrespect the club history. This is a bit bigger than you."
"Unfortunately some people from them don’t know how to celebrate."
How has the FA reacted to this misconduct?
After the game, the Football Association put out a statement regarding the misconduct at Stamford Bridge. The statement reads:
Chelsea FC and Leicester City FC have both been charged with a breach of FA Rule E20.1 following their Premier League fixture on Tuesday 18 May 2021.
“It is alleged that both clubs failed to ensure their players and/or club officials conducted themselves in an orderly fashion and/or refrained from provocative behaviour during the 93rd minute."
Chelsea have taken a giant step towards Champions League qualification by defeating Leicester City. The Blues know they just need to match Leicester's result on Sunday to guarantee them a spot in the Champions League group-stage next season.
Leicester host Tottenham on the final day of the season while Chelsea travel to Aston Villa.