Reece James is set to be absent for Chelsea’s opening trio of fixtures in the forthcoming Premier League season, following the Football Association’s decision to uphold his suspension.
The Chelsea defender received his marching orders for a second bookable offense against Brighton, in what was the second-to-last match of the previous season, after a confrontation with Brighton’s Joao Pedro.
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The dismissal resulted in a four-game suspension due to it being James’ second expulsion of the campaign. Consequently, he was sidelined for the victory against Bournemouth, which also marked the end of Mauricio Pochettino’s tenure with Chelsea.
Despite Chelsea’s vigorous appeal, James will also miss the first three matches under the stewardship of the newly appointed manager, Enzo Maresca.
The Daily Mail report that Chelsea’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 rejected by the independent regulatory commission and the England star 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.
‘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 verdict, while expected, deals yet another setback to Reece James, whose Premier League appearances last season were limited to a mere 10, with injuries being the primary cause, and suspensions also playing a part.
Out of those 10 appearances, only half saw him in the starting lineup for Chelsea. His limited game time ultimately led to his omission from the England squad for Euro 2024 this summer.
