FA set to examine Foy report following Chelsea loss at Villa

16 March 2014 15:16

The FA will examine Chris Foy's match report before deciding whether to charge Jose Mourinho or any of those involved in the injury time melee during Chelsea's defeat to Aston Villa.

Chelsea surrendered the initiative to Manchester City in the Barclays Premier League title race on Saturday when they lost 1-0 at Villa Park.

Fabian Delph beat Petr Cech with a clever backheel eight minutes from time, and further drama unfolded soon after following a straight red card for Ramires.

The Brazilian was dismissed for a reckless two-footed lunge on Karim El Ahmadi right in front of the dugout.

Mourinho, opposite number Paul Lambert and a number of coaches entered the pitch to try to cool the situation down.

But, after being ushered off the pitch, Mourinho brushed past fourth official Jon Moss and went on to the pitch again, shouting towards referee Foy.

Mourinho wanted to speak to Foy about the fact that Gabriel Agbonlahor went unpunished for coming off the bench and grabbing Ramires by the neck, but the referee was not interested and he sent the Portuguese to the stands.

Mourinho, fearing another charge for bringing the game into disrepute, was careful not to question the integrity of Foy after the match, but he may still be sanctioned as the FA rule book says managers must not leave the confines of their technical area during the match.

Rule E3 states any manager who does so could be liable to an FA charge, with a fine of £8,000-£12,000 a possible punishment.

Should it be deemed that Mourinho, or any of the others who came on the pitch used abusive language, they could be banned for two matches.

Villa boss Lambert was keen to talk about the result, rather than the dismissal of Mourinho, Ramires and Willian, who received a second yellow card for a push on Delph in the second half.

"People are going to comment on the decisions, but I am here to talk about the game," Lambert said.

"I want to talk about football and the good things about the game.

"We were fantastic, everyone to a man. A young group of lads performed outstanding out there.

"I think it's unfair to single out any individual. It was a team performance."

Mourinho will learn his fate on Monday when the FA receives Foy's report.

Agbonlahor could also be censured for his role in the fracas.

The whole evening was one to forget for Mourinho and Chelsea as a whole.

It is understood that Chelsea are angry about reports that came from inside the ground that Mourinho and Chelsea captain John Terry tried to "storm" the referee's room.

The Blues insist neither Mourinho nor any of his players entered the room.

Mourinho's team now stand six points ahead of Manchester City and Manuel Pellegrini's men have three matches in hand.

Mourinho must now lift his team for Tuesday's Champions League match against Galatasaray.

The score is 1-1 after a tense first leg in Turkey. The good news for Mourinho is that Samuel Eto'o is expected to be fit for the game.

The Cameroonian sat out the Villa game as he was not 100 per cent but he should be available to face the Turks.

Source: PA