Chelsea
striker Diego Costa will serve a three-match suspension after being found
guilty of an FA charge of violent conduct.
The charge relates to an incident in Saturday's 2-0 win over Arsenal at
Stamford Bridge, which was not seen by match referee Mike Dean but was the
subject of a retrospective investigation.
In a statement released by the club Chelsea said they were "extremely
disappointed" with the decision and "would await the written reasons before
commenting further."
Costa had denied the charge over the incident in which he appeared to put
his hands in the face of Gunners defender Laurent Koscielny.
An FA statement read: "An FA charge against Diego Costa for violent conduct
not seen by the match officials but caught on video has been found proven
following an Independent Regulatory Commission hearing.
"The Chelsea forward will, therefore, serve the standard penalty of a
three-match suspension with immediate effect.
"The charge, which the player denied, was in relation to an incident
involving Arsenal's Laurent Koscielny in the 43rd minute of the game on
Saturday [19 September 2015]."
The Spain international will miss Wednesday's League Cup match with Walsall,
plus Premier League games against Newcastle and Southampton.
Earlier on Tuesday, Arsenal defender Gabriel won an appeal against his red
card for confronting Costa after the initial incident.
The FA announced in a separate statement that it had accepted Arsenal's
challenge to the decision and withdrawn the three-match suspension.
Gabriel still faces a separate charge of improper conduct for his reaction
after being shown the red card by referee Dean and has until 6pm on Thursday
to reply.
The FA also charged both Chelsea and Arsenal for failing to control their
players, they also have until 6pm on Thursday to respond.
top