Thibaut Courtois Suspended Against Manchester City After FA Rejects Appeal

Chelsea will be without their starting goalkeeper when they take on Manchester City on Sunday as the club's appeal of Thibaut Courtois' red card and subsequent suspension was unsuccessful on Tuesday.  

According to The Football Association's official website, it was deemed that Courtois' dismissal in the 52nd minute of Chelsea's 2-2 draw against Swansea City on Saturday was proper, which means the Belgian netminder won't be permitted to play in the Blues' next contest.

Courtois was ejected after hauling down Swans striker Bafetimbi Gomis, which resulted in Swansea City tying the match on a penalty kick. Additionally, playing with 10 men made it very difficult for Chelsea to retake the lead for the remainder of the match.

There have been many differing opinions regarding the decision since Saturday's match with Jamie Redknapp of Sky Sports, speaking on Saturday Night Football, being one of the primary critics:

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No doubt it's a penalty, but I don't think he is denying a goal-scoring opportunity. ... I don't think it's a red card and I think Chelsea are really unlucky. The ball is going away from goal and I believe (Blues defender) Gary Cahill can get back on the line. There's a chance he can score but I think the ball has to be going directly at goal. ... Maybe the referee thought it was dangerous play, I don't think it was. Penalty absolutely, but I think a red card is extremely harsh.

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Oliver Holt of the Daily Mail disagreed and backed up the referee's decision, however:

One person who wasn't willing to get involved in a back-and-forth about the call, though, was Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, per Sky Sports (via Peter Hanson of Goal.com): "I don't want (to make a comment on the decision). You (the media) have the cameras, you have the pundits, the specialists, I don't want to comment."

Now that Courtois' suspension is official, the focus shifts toward what it means for Chelsea. Although the season is very young, it could prove to be a crucial loss for the Blues.

Every match counts, but Chelsea's clash with Man City is especially important since the Citizens may be the club with the best chance of stopping the Blues from nabbing back-to-back EPL titles.

Chelsea are fortunate to have a capable backup goalkeeper in the form of Asmir Begovic, but Courtois is one of the best in the world currently, and the Sky Blues have more than enough attacking talent to take advantage of the situation.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.