Chelsea captain James given one-game suspension
Published
Chelsea captain Reece James has been given a one-game ban and was fined £90,000 by the FA after admitting to "improper, insulting and abusive words and behaviour" towards a match official after the Blues' 1-0 loss to Aston Villa on Sept. 24.
The England defender, who was not a participant in the match, confronted official Jarred Gillett in the tunnel.
During the match, Chelsea had France under-21 right-back Malo Gusto sent off for a challenge on Villa left-back Lucas Digne. He had initially been shown a yellow, but the foul was upgraded to a red following a VAR check.
James, 23, is in his first season as Blues captain, inheriting the armband from the departed Cesar Azpilicueta.
A product of the Chelsea academy, the London native has made 99 Premier League appearances over five seasons with the senior side and won the Champions League with the team in 2021.
Internationally, James has been capped 16 times by the Three Lions.
Chelsea returns to league play on Saturday with a visit to Burnley at Turf Moor.