FA Fines Chelsea, West Ham After Mass Brawl At Stamford Bridge

FA Fines Chelsea, West Ham After Mass Brawl At Stamford Bridge
Todibo sent off for violent conduct
FA cites previous rule breaches in sanctions

Chelsea FC and West Ham United FC have been fined following the ill tempered scenes that disrupted their Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge in January.

The The Football Association confirmed that Chelsea were fined £325,000, while West Ham must pay £300,000 after both clubs admitted charges relating to a mass confrontation in stoppage time.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that the incident erupted deep into added time when Chelsea forward Joao Pedro reacted angrily to a shove from West Ham winger Adama Traore on defender Marc Cucurella. Players from both sides quickly converged near the corner flag, leading to chaotic scenes.

After a lengthy VAR review, referee Anthony Taylor issued a straight red card to West Ham defender Jean Clair Todibo for grabbing Joao Pedro by the neck.

In a statement, the FA said: “It was alleged that Chelsea FC failed to ensure its players didn’t behave in an improper and/or provocative way around the 95th minute.

“It was also alleged that West Ham United FC failed to ensure its players didn’t behave in an improper and/or provocative and/or violent way at this time.

“Both clubs subsequently admitted the charges against them.”

An independent regulatory commission described the episode as “a serious incident” and noted that several Chelsea players were involved. It added: “It was not accepted that Mr Cucurella was wholly without fault. He was aware of his actions after conceding the corner kick and returning to his feet.

“He sought to invite a reaction from Mr Traore. That is not to justify Mr Traore’s disproportionate reaction from which the mass confrontation ensued.

“Furthermore, the commission noted that three of the Chelsea players were in some way seeking to incite the crowd during and towards the end of the incident.

“There is no justification for this behaviour, irrespective of what had happened during the course of the game or within the mass confrontation itself. It was accepted that the club had admitted the charge and was contrite.”

The commission concluded that both sides contributed to the confrontation, describing Traore’s reaction as the catalyst. While Todibo’s conduct was ruled violent, no other West Ham player was found guilty of violent behaviour, though several were deemed to have acted improperly and provocatively.

The incident overshadowed a dramatic encounter in which Chelsea recovered from a 2 0 deficit to secure a 3 2 victory, sealed by a stoppage time winner from Enzo Fernandez.

In determining the sanctions, the commission considered previous breaches of FA Rule E20.1 by both clubs, which prohibits improper, offensive, violent or provocative conduct.