Chelsea, Arsenal Fined and Warned by FA for Player Misconduct at Stamford Bridge
Chelsea and Arsenal have both been hit with fines from the Football Association for failing to control their players during the ill-tempered London derby in mid-September.
It was a game Chelsea won 2-0 after Arsenal pair Gabriel and Santi Cazorla were both sent off.
A statement from the FA's official website has reported how Chelsea will pay £40,000, while the Gunners have been charged £30,000 for their part in events. Those events stemmed from Chelsea striker Diego Costa's melee with Arsenal's Brazilian centre-back Gabriel.
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After plenty of crossed words and more than one physical altercation, Gabriel received a red card. Meanwhile, Costa controversially stayed on the pitch.
It was these decisions, made by referee Mike Dean, that led to the behaviour from the players both clubs are being punished for. The FA's statement made that perfectly clear: "The charge was for failing to ensure their players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion from the 44th to the 47th minute of the game at Stamford Bridge on 19 September 2015."
This is a "breach of FA Rule E20."
The aftermath saw Gabriel's initial red card rescinded, while Costa was handed a three-match ban.
This latest development is sure to continue the ongoing spat between Arsenal and Chelsea, most often played out by managers Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger.
At the time, Mourinho sneeringly chided reporters critical of Costa's actions, according to Sky Sports: "I can guess that when you were a kid you were playing badminton."
By contrast, Wenger reserved his ire for Costa, during an interview with the BBC (h/t London Evening Standard's James Benge): "In every game he has aggravation and he gets away with it because of the weakness of the referee. We knew before the game he is only looking at that."
Expect both clubs to make statements, and expect both managers to react with animosity toward both the FA ruling and each other.
