Spurs player Dembele banned for six matches

LONDON (Reuters) - Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Mousa Dembele has been handed a six-match ban for violent conduct that went unseen by the referee but was caught on video, the Football Association said on Friday.

Spurs player Dembele banned for six matches

(Reuters)





Dembele, who had accepted the charge, will see his suspension extend into next season. Tottenham, second in the Premier League behind newly-crowned champions Leicester City, have two matches remaining.

Television replays appeared to show the Belgian international trying to gouge Chelsea striker Diego Costa's eye during a heated 2-2 league draw at Stamford Bridge on Monday.

That match, which Tottenham had to win to keep their title hopes alive, saw tempers flare after the visitors surrendered a 2-0 lead.

They also became the first team in Premier League history to have nine players booked in one game.

The FA argued the standard punishment of a three-match ban was "clearly insufficient" in Dembele's case, which he contested, and their view was upheld by an Independent Regulatory Commission hearing.

Tottenham's final league games are a home clash with Southampton and an away trip to relegation-threatened Newcastle United.

The Londoners are guaranteed a top-four finish and Champions League qualifying spot but will want to end the season as runners-up ahead of rivals Arsenal who are three points behind.

Dembele has made 29 league appearances this season, scoring three goals.

Tottenham also have England midfielder Dele Alli banned for the rest of the season for violent conduct in an incident also unseen by the referee.

The 20-year-old, voted the PFA Young Player of the Year after a sensational first season in the top flight, was caught on video swinging his arm into the stomach of West Bromwich Albion's Claudio Yacob during a 1-1 draw at White Hart Lane.





(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Tony Jimenez)


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: Reuters



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world