Chelsea fail in bid to overturn Reece James ban as FA documents reveal line of Blues’ reasoning

Chelsea captain Reece James set to miss three games next season after red card against Brighton & Hove Albion

Journalist Kieran Gill confirms Chelsea right-back Reece James is set to face a three-game suspension after a player-petulant foul on Joao Pedro in Chelsea’s 2-1 win against Brighton & Hove Albion last season. The Blues’ reasoning to cancel the right-back’s three-match suspension has been rejected by the Football Association.

In the FA document, the claim sent by the Blues said that James was ‘disoriented’ after being fouled from behind, that Pedro’made contact’ as he ran past, and that ‘It had not been his intention to harm Mr Pedro; he was simply pushing him away with his foot.’

However, the FA wasn’t convinced of Chelsea’s justification and denied Chelsea’s request to lift James’ three-game ban, upholding the four-game ban handed to James due to this being his second red card of the season.

This means the 24-year-old will be absent from Blues matches in the 2024–25 season after already missing last season’s game against Bournemouth. James time at the club has been mired with injuries after he suffered hamstring injury in December and out until May.

Chelsea will start the new season under new manager Enzo Maresca, who is set to have a busy summer. James, who returned to action in a 2-3 win against Nottingham Forest, will hope to build his fitness after missing out on the England Euro 2024 squad.

He also has to miss three more games, which seems like an extremely harsh sentence considering that he didn’t commit an unfair foul and didn’t mean to hurt Pedro and the Brighton player may have overplayed and made it appear like a severe foul.

At a minimum, they ought to have lowered his match ban if they didn’t even lift the suspension. This is undoubtedly an improper way to handle players who are going to get match bans. This means Malo Gusto will start for Chelsea in their first game of the new season while James is out of action for the next three games.

More Chelsea news

• Paul Robinson feels Arsenal star Aaron Ramsdale should prefer a move to Chelsea
• Chelsea target Las Palmas custodian Alvaro Valles
• Ben Jacobs confirms Chelsea can sign Crysencio Summerville for a cut-price deal

Next season, James will have a big role to play, as his presence will be important to us and the new head coach and we hope he remains fit and is available for the entirety of the campaign.