The FA has accused Reece James, the captain of Chelsea, of using disrespectful and offensive language towards a match official in the tunnel after Chelsea’s loss to Aston Villa in the Premier League over the weekend.
Despite suffering a hamstring injury, James was in attendance at Stamford Bridge for the Sunday match, where Ollie Watkins scored the only goal, handing Chelsea their third league defeat of the season.
Malo Gusto was red-carded for a dangerous play after a VAR review, and Chelsea also had an Axel Disasi goal disallowed due to a close offside call. Chelsea’s performance was lackluster, and they haven’t scored a goal in three consecutive Premier League games, a concern for their manager Mauricio Pochettino.
Pochettino expressed confidence in their overall performance, emphasizing that they only need to improve their scoring. He stated, “We are confident in our performance. The only thing we are missing is scoring, and if we keep working hard, we will improve. I’m not frustrated, just disappointed. I believe we were the better team until the red card.” According to an FA statement issued on Wednesday afternoon, Reece James is facing charges under FA Rule E3 for his alleged use of inappropriate, insulting, and abusive language or behavior towards a match official in the tunnel after the game against Aston Villa on Sunday, September 24th. James has been given a two-day period to respond to these charges.
The FA has been aiming to crack down on disrespectful conduct towards match officials this season. Virgil van Dijk, the captain of Liverpool, recently had his suspension extended by one match due to his response to receiving a red card in a game against Newcastle. Additionally, he was fined £100,000.
Earlier this week, James discussed his process of recovering from his injury, saying, “My primary responsibility is to play football, and I want to contribute to the team. However, I’m currently unable to do so, so my main focus right now is to regain my fitness as quickly and safely as possible.”
“I’m eager to return to the field soon, but it’s equally important to ensure that the timing is right. I want to make sure that when I do come back, I’m fully prepared to continue the season without any future issues.”
“I’ve taken another step towards my return by being back on the training ground for the past few weeks. I’m putting in a lot of effort to overcome my injury and provide as much assistance to the team as I can.” The 24-year-old might make his comeback just before the October international break, and any potential suspension resulting from his recent charge is likely to have already been served by then.
