Reece James will have to wait to play his first game under Chelsea’s new manager (Picture: Getty Images)
Reece James will miss the first three games of the next Premier League season after the Football Association rejected Chelsea’s ambitious attempts to get the ban overturned.
The England international was shown a red card in Chelsea’s clash with Brighton in the penultimate game of the last campaign, kicking out at Seagulls forward Joao Pedro.
As it was James’ second red card of the season a four-match ban followed and he missed the win over Bournemouth, which turned out to be Mauricio Pochettino’s final game in charge of the Blues.
He is now due to miss incoming manager Enzo Maresca’s first three league games in charge as well, despite Chelsea’s best efforts.
The Daily Mail report that the club’s appeal to the FA included claims that James was ‘disoriented’ after being fouled himself, and: ‘It had not been his intention to harm Mr Pedro, he was simply pushing him away with his foot.’
The speculative effort of an appeal was unanimously rejected by the independent regulatory commission and James will serve the full four-match ban.
As part of their reasoning for the rejected appeal, the FA wrote: ‘The account of Mr James was not persuasive. It is evident from the video evidence that Mr James does kick out at the opposing player, catching him below the left knee. It was not accepted that he was in some way disoriented. The player was running away from him. This was not merely a coming together.
Reece James was shown the red card at Brighton by referee Michael Salisbury (Picture: Getty Images)
‘Moreover, it was not accepted that he simply used his leg to push the opposing player away. It is clear from the video evidence that he kicked out at the opposing player with a straight left leg. It was unnecessary and amounted to an act of violent conduct. The appeal was dismissed.’
The decision is unsurprising but another blow for James, who played just 10 times in the Premier League last season, partly due to suspension, but largely due to injury.
Just five of those 10 league appearances came in the starting XI for Chelsea and his lack of minutes on the pitch cost him a place in England’s Euro 2024 squad this summer.
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