Matic resigned to losing appeal and missing Spurs final

Nemanja Matic is resigned to missing Sunday’s Capital One Cup final despite Chelsea’s decision to lodge an appeal with the Football Association against his sending off for pushing over Ashley Barnes during the draw with Burnley.


The Serb midfielder was dismissed by the referee, Martin Atkinson, whose oversight in missing Barnes’ horrific tackle to prompt that reaction has led to the referee being rested from next weekend’s Premier League fixture list. Chelsea have opted to appeal on the grounds of excessive sentence which, if successful, is likely to see Matic’s prospective three-match ban reduced but not overturned, ruling him out of the final at Wembley.

A claim against wrongful dismissal technically carried the risk – albeit slim – of incurring an extra game suspension if the appeal was rejected but Chelsea, whose lead at the top of the Premier League may have been cut to two points by the time they resume their pursuit of the title, are expected to call on evidence from Tottenham Hostpur’s derby draw with West Ham on Sunday in their case to have Matic’s sanction reduced. Jan Vertonghen reacted to a challenge from Mark Noble on Nabil Bentaleb in that game by pushing the visitors’ midfielder to the ground but neither player was punished. Vertonghen is set to start Sunday’s showpiece.

Chelsea, who have until 1pm on Tuesday to submit their evidence and are pursuing the claim with the backing of their owner, Roman Abramovich, are considering citing a number of other incidents this season in evidence as they argue Matic’s suspension should be reconsidered. They include another clash involving Vertonghen, his grapple with Sheffield United’s Chris Basham in the semi-final of the Capital One Cup. Swansea’s Wayne Routledge had a red card rescinded after he was sent off for retaliation following a foul by QPR’s Karl Henry on New Year’s Day.

The club have also scrutinised footage of Jack Wilshere thrusting his head into Marouane Fellaini’s chest, an offence that went ignored, and Joe Hart’s confrontation with the referee, Michael Oliver, that did not prompt sanction in the Manchester derby. Once their dossier of evidence has been submitted, an independent regulatory commission will hear the case on Tuesday with a judgement expected either way by close of business.

Atkinson, who was at the centre of Saturday’s controversy, will take up fourth-official duties at Manchester United’s game against Sunderland this weekend – there is a reduced programme to accommodate the Capital One Cup final – having missed what José Mourinho described as an “end of career” tackle on Matic. He will officiate Southampton’s home game with Crystal Palace on Tuesday next week.

The FA has since confirmed Barnes will not face any retrospective punishment for his challenge, with Atkinson having been deemed to have been in the best place to make a judgment on the incident. Yet the official’s performance at Stamford Bridge has drawn stinging criticism from the former referees’ chief, Keith Hackett. “[Martin Atkinson’s] performance in the Chelsea versus Burnley game was not worthy of any referee at any level,” he wrote on his blog for the You are the Ref website. “It was an incompetent display and one of the worst I have ever seen in a game of football.

“In the 30th minute, Burnley’s Ashley Barnes committed a foul challenge on Branislav Ivanovic. It was penalised by Atkinson, but to my amazement there was no disciplinary sanction. Barnes should have been dismissed, as it was a clear red card offence. Why did Atkinson not sanction with a red card? It is the question his boss Mike Riley, general manager and a director of the PGMOL, should be asking. The PGMOL manager will no doubt respond in the usual manner by keeping silent. He is currently responsible for the rapid decline in refereeing standards that we are witnessing.”


By Dominic Fifield, Guardian