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Chelsea have been successful in their appeal to reduce Nemanja Matic’s three-match suspension after a Regulatory Commission hearing was held on Tuesday. The Serbian defensive midfielder was sent off for violent conduct during an EPL match against Burnley last Saturday.
Matic was brought down by a rash tackle by Burnley’s Ashley Barnes, after which he retaliated by pushing the striker to the ground in a fit of rage. The referee had no choice but to show Matic a straight red card and Burnley eventually claimed a point at Stamford Bridge after a 1-1 draw.
After the hearing, Matic’s suspension has been reduced to two matches.
Standard three-match suspension was excessive: FA
Although Matic’s retaliation and actions were not condoned by the FA, they did reduce the suspension by considering the level of force used by the Blues player in the altercation.
The Chairman of the Regulatory Commission Roger Burden said: “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.
"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 suspension will be served with immediate effect, which means Matic will miss the League Cup final against Tottenham and the away trip to West Ham. He will be available for the home game against Southampton on 15 March.
