September 27, (THEWILL) – Chelsea defender, Reece James, has been charged by the England Football Association (FA) for alleged verbal abuse of a match official following the Blues’ English Premier League defeat against Aston Villa last weekend.
The incident is said to have taken place in the tunnel area after the final whistle at Stamford Bridge, where Villa secured a 1-0 victory, thanks to Ollie Watkins’ goal. Chelsea had a goal disallowed and a player sent off during the match, leaving manager Mauricio Pochettino frustrated by the result.
The FA have cracked down on abuse of match officials this season, with Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk recently fined £100,000 and banned for an extra match. James was not playing due to a hamstring injury but was present at the game.
An FA statement said James has been charged with a breach of Rule E3 and has two days to respond. The 24-year-old right-back has been working his way back from injury and could return before the October international break. Any potential suspension from this charge may have already been served by then.
James recently discussed his recovery process, saying his job is to get fit as quickly and safely as possible to help the team again. He admitted being eager to put his injury problems behind him and make an impact for Chelsea over the rest of the campaign.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
