Chelsea face a nervous wait to find out whether midfielder Moisés Caicedo will face punishment for his role in an on-field clash with Brighton & Hove Albion’s Jan Paul van Hecke.
As the Blues gave up their lead and slumped to a shock 3–1 defeat on Saturday, tensions began to rise on the pitch. Benoît Badiashile found himself battling a handful of Brighton players but what the cameras did not pick up was that the Frenchman’s actions were in response to an issue involving Caicedo.
After squaring up to Brighton winger Yankuba Minteh, players from both sides involved themselves before Van Hecke charged up to Caicedo and grabbed the Chelsea midfielder’s arm. Caicedo responded angrily with a gesture which was not particularly well captured by TV cameras, but there was contact between the Ecuador international and Van Hecke which sent the latter flying to the ground in performative agony. Badiashile’s attempts to pick him up off the turf sparked the second half of the melee.
VAR reviewed the incident and yellow cards were awarded to both Badiashile and Brighton’s Lewis Dunk, but it was not clear whether Caicedo’s initial act had been captured.
According to Nizaar Kinsella, retrospective action against Caicedo is highly unlikely, with both teams instead expected to be charged with failing to control their players, but fears that the remote officials could not actually reach a concrete verdict leave the door open to a review.
Van Hecke, for his part, played down the significance of the scuffle after the final whistle, telling The Argus: “It’s just in the heat of the battle and it’s all good.”
Chelsea are already battling suspension after Trevoh Chalobah’s early red card saw the centre back join the long list of players ruled out through injury. In defence alone, the Blues are already without Levi Colwill, Tosin Adarabioyo and Wesley Fofana.
Those selection issues are thought to have aided manager Enzo Maresca in his bid to avoid the increasing pressure on his position, with club officials sympathetic of the fact his tactics have been wildly disrupted by red cards.
READ THE LATEST CHELSEA NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS AND MORE
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Chelsea Sweating Over Potential Moises Caicedo Ban After Brighton Brawl.
