Chelsea are expected to avoid any points deduction for their role in the on-field bust-up that happened during their 3-1 win over Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium last week.
The fracas started with Sergio Aguero's horrendous tackle on David Luiz. What followed was almost a mass brawl as the likes of Nathaniel Chalobah, Kelechi Iheanacho, Cesc Fabregas and Fernandinho also got involved. The Brazilian was sent off along with Aguero, as he appeared to hold Fabregas by the neck and shove him to the ground.
Both clubs have been charged by the FA and it emerged that Chelsea could be deducted points for what was their fifth disciplinary charge since February 2015.
After their game against Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge last year, Chelsea were fined £375,000 and warned of a points deduction, should a similar incident occur in the future. On appeal, the fine was reduced to £290,000 but the threat of a deduction of points stayed.
But, according to The Daily Mail, the likely course of action from the FA will be to fine both clubs and that Chelsea would not be docked points. Both clubs were charged with “failing to control their players” after awful scenes at the end of the game.
Also read: Antonio Conte reacts to possible points deduction for Chelsea, calls it a "Joke"
Chelsea’s list of offences started in Jose Mourinho’s tenure as manager at Stamford Bridge, but their manager Antonio Conte has lashed out at those calling for a points deduction.
The Italian said, “We had a bad record in the past but now we are different. Why must you pay if you are involved in a situation and the fault is not yours?”
The passionate former Juventus manager said that his players should not be penalised for keeping their cool, “Why? Are you joking? I don't know what happened in the past but I know what happened in the present. At the end of the game, my players tried to keep calm. You could see this clearly. We are trying to improve in all aspects.”
Chelsea are currently top of the Premier League, with 37 points from their 15 games. No team in the last five Premier League seasons has had as many points after 15 games as the Blues do now.
Conte is well aware that being docked points could derail some of their momentum and has stood by his players’ actions after the game. The Blues are on a nine-game winning run and face a trip to the Stadium of Light to face David Moyes’s struggling Sunderland on Wednesday night.
