Chelsea and Manchester City have been fined for their players’ misdemeanour in their recent Premier League clash on 3rd December. Manchester City have to pay a sum of £35,000 while Chelsea face a heavier penalty of £100,000.
The brawl occurred towards the end of Chelsea’s 1-3 win at the Etihad, when Sergio Aguero hacked down David Luiz. Fernandinho was sent off in the aftermath for grabbing Cesc Fabregas by the neck.
Sixth offence in the last couple of years
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While Manchester City players were more to blame for the incident, Chelsea face a heavier fine as they are serial offenders, having been involved in six such incidents since February 2015. Antonio Conte earlier said that a point deduction would be a joke, as he defended his players in the aftermath. Guardiola, on his part, had apologised after the match against Chelsea for the behaviour of his players.
The Blues’ last incident occurred against Tottenham at Stamford Bridge in May, as tempers flared against their city rivals and they were warned that future misdemeanours could lead to point deductions. The Stamford Bridge club were fined a record £375,000 for that incident, which was later reduced to £290,000.
The Disciplinary Commission had stated at the time, ‘the time cannot be too far distant when... the only proper sanction is a points deduction.’ However, the FA Independent Disciplinary Commission decided that a fine would suffice this time as well.
The last time teams were docked points for misdemeanours was 16 years ago in another incident between sides from London and Manchester, as Arsenal players clashed with those of Manchester United in 1990.
The fine piles on the misery for Manchester City, who have Sergio Aguero suspended for four matches and Fernandinho for three. They are currently on a two-match losing streak, falling to a heavy 4-2 defeat away at champions Leicester in their previous game.
They face Watford at home next, with Arsenal visiting the Etihad on the weekend for the match after that. Guardiola will be concerned with how to set up his team for these matches, with his defence looking leaky and Fernandinho not present to marshall the midfield.
Pep pleads for more time
The Spanish manager in his pre-match presser before the Watford game cited Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson as his idol, and asked for more patience from City fans and the media, claiming that it took the famous Scot a long time to win the Premier League as well.
"Ferguson, my idol, took eleven years to win the league. Liverpool, a historic club, has for many years without winning. Give me time, guys," the Spaniard emphasised.
Manchester City currently trail league leaders Chelsea by 7 points heading into Wednesday’s games as Chelsea travel to Sunderland.
