Diego Costa has failed his appeal and has received a three match ban from the Football Association, following a number of violent incidents involving the Chelsea striker and his Liverpool rivals in the clubs’ Capital One Cup semi-final match.
The 26-year-old was charged with violent conduct after stamping on the leg of both Liverpool’s Emre Can and Martin Skrtel, two incidents which the referee and his assistant officials failed to spot during the game. However, the FA later launched an inquiry into the matter, with referee Michael Oliver being brought in to review video footage of the alleged offences and make a final decision on whether the striker should face punishment for his actions.
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In the Premier League any post-match inquiries are settled by a panel of three independent figures, though Capital One Cup rules dictate that the referee for the match in question should be involved in the matter. Clearly Oliver decided that he was at fault for not handing Costa a straight red, with the Spain international now set to miss his next three games with his club, including a crucial game against Manchester City, who sit below Chelsea in the Premier League table in second place.
Chelsea and Liverpool players lock horns after Costa nearly comes to blows with Steven Gerrard.
Costa was only given a yellow card during the semi-final against Liverpool for an incident where he pulled Steven Gerrard to the ground, with many Liverpool fans upset that he remained on the pitch as their club was sent out of the competition following an extra-time winner from Ivanovic. However, Manchester City fans will undoubtedly be pleased by this latest batch of news, as it now leaves Chelsea without their best striker in one of the two teams’ most important games of the entire season.
Costa will also be absent from Chelsea’s games against Aston Villa and Everton, as they sit just five points ahead of City with a goal advantage of nine.
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