An independent FA regulatory commission have upheld Chelsea’s appeal against Nemanja Matic’s three-match suspension for a red card he received last weekend.
The midfielder’s suspension has been reduced to two matches, but the panel didn’t find enough evidence to overturn the red card he received for violent conduct against Burnley’s Ashley Barnes last Saturday.
The Serbian will miss Chelsea’s crucial League Cup final against Tottenham this Sunday at Wembley and the Premier League fixture against West Ham next Wednesday at Upton Park.
Chelsea were hoping to have the midfielder’s name cleared, but the panel observed that Matic’s behaviour after Barnes’ tackle cannot be condoned and so a two-match suspension is sufficient punishment.
Roger Burden, Chairman of the Regulatory Commission, said in a statement released on the FA’s official site: “In reaching this decision the members of the Regulatory Commission rejected the mitigation advanced by Nemanja Matic in respect of the provocation and tackle he received which led to his act of violent conduct.
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"The violent response of Mr. Matic to the nature of the tackle cannot be condoned and does not vindicate his subsequent actions. The members of the Commission did, however, accept the mitigation in respect of the level of force used by Mr. Matic and the nature of the contact he made with Mr. Barnes of Burnley FC.
"Having made those considerations we determined that the standard punishment of a three-match suspension would be clearly excessive and, therefore, ordered that the suspension be reduced to two matches.”
The FA previously decided not to take any retrospective action against Barnes for his heavy challenge, which led the subsequent reaction by Matic.
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