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By Goli Innocent
Chelsea F.C. and West Ham United F.C. have been fined £325,000 and £300,000 respectively following a mass confrontation during their January meeting at Stamford Bridge.
The sanctions were confirmed after both clubs admitted breaching rules of the The Football Association relating to improper and provocative conduct.
According to the FA, Chelsea failed to ensure their players refrained from acting improperly and/or provocatively in the 95th minute, while West Ham were charged for not preventing improper, provocative and/or violent conduct at the same moment.
An independent regulatory commission described the episode as “a serious incident” involving multiple Chelsea players. The panel also noted previous breaches under FA Rule E20.1 by both sides, which were taken into account in determining the fines.
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The flashpoint occurred deep into added time after Chelsea forward João Pedro reacted to a shove by West Ham winger Adama Traoré on Blues defender Marc Cucurella. Players from both teams converged, resulting in heated scenes and a lengthy VAR review.
Following the review, referee Anthony Taylor issued a straight red card to West Ham defender Jean-Clair Todibo for grabbing João Pedro by the neck.
In its written reasons, the commission said Cucurella “sought to invite a reaction” after conceding a corner but stressed that this did not justify what it termed Traoré’s “disproportionate reaction,” which triggered the confrontation.
It also observed that three Chelsea players attempted to incite the crowd, describing the behaviour as unjustified regardless of earlier events. While no additional West Ham players were found guilty of violent conduct beyond Todibo, the panel ruled that several acted improperly and provocatively, contributing to what it called a serious and unsightly episode.
