Chelsea and Nottingham Forest have been charged by the Football Association (FA) for failing to control their players during a mass confrontation in Sunday’s Premier League match at Stamford Bridge.
The incident occurred towards the end of the game, which finished in a 1-1 draw, when tempers flared after Forest’s Neco Williams seemingly pushed Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella off the pitch.
Although Chelsea forward Nicolas Jackson appeared to slap Nottingham Forest’s Morato during the clash, no action will be taken against him.
The incident was reviewed by the video assistant referee (VAR) at the time.
“It’s alleged that both clubs failed to ensure their players didn’t behave in an improper and/or provocative way around the 88th minute,” the FA said in a statement.
Both clubs have until Thursday to respond to the charge.
During the clash, three players received bookings: Williams for Nottingham Forest, and Cucurella and Levi Colwill for Chelsea.
In total, six Chelsea players were booked throughout the match, which means the club faces an automatic £50,000 fine for accumulating six or more bookings for the second time this season.
Meanwhile, Wesley Fofana and Marc Cucurella will miss the upcoming Premier League showdown with Liverpool after picking up bookings in their 1-1 draw against Forest.
Fofana and Cucurella have been integral to Chelsea’s defence, starting every game this season.
Fofana has now been booked in each of the last five matches, while Cucurella has received yellow cards in four consecutive games, as well as in the second game of the season against Wolves.
Although Chelsea have defensive options to cover for their absence, the loss of these two key players adds to the challenge of facing Liverpool.
With both in the lineup, Chelsea have suffered only one defeat and conceded just eight goals in seven games so far this season.
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