Chelsea have been fined £325,000 and West Ham £300,000 following a “mass confrontation” during their Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge in January.
The incident erupted in added time after Chelsea forward João Pedro reacted to a shove from West Ham winger Adama Traoré on Blues defender Marc Cucurella.
Players from both sides became involved in heated scenes before referee Anthony Taylor dismissed Hammers defender Jean-Clair Todibo following a lengthy VAR review for grabbing João Pedro by the neck.
As reported by BBC Sport on Wednesday, in a statement, the The Football Association said: “It was alleged that Chelsea FC failed to ensure its players didn’t behave in an improper and/or provocative way around the 95th minute.
“It was also alleged that West Ham United FC failed to ensure its players didn’t behave in an improper and/or provocative and/or violent way at this time.
“Both clubs subsequently admitted the charges against them.”
An independent regulatory commission described the flashpoint as “a serious incident” involving a number of Chelsea players.
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In its written reasons, the commission stated: “It was not accepted that Mr Cucurella was wholly without fault. He was aware of his actions after conceding the corner kick and returning to his feet.
“He sought to invite a reaction from Mr Traore. That is not to justify Mr Traore’s disproportionate reaction from which the mass confrontation ensued.”
The commission added that three Chelsea players were seen “in some way seeking to incite the crowd during and towards the end of the incident,” stressing: “There is no justification for this behaviour, irrespective of what had happened during the course of the game or within the mass confrontation itself.”
While Todibo’s red card was upheld as violent conduct, the commission noted: “It was accepted that there was no violent conduct from any other West Ham United players beyond the behaviour of Mr Todibo.
“However, a large number of West Ham United players did behave in an improper and provocative manner and contributed to what was a serious, unsightly incident.”
Both clubs’ previous breaches of FA Rule E20.1 — which prohibits behaviour that is “improper, offensive, violent, threatening, abusive, indecent, insulting or provocative” — were taken into account when determining the fines.
The confrontation came moments after Chelsea had completed a dramatic comeback from 2-0 down to win 3-2, with Enzo Fernández scoring an injury-time winner before tensions spilled over.
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