Chelsea have been unsuccessful in their appeal against Thibaut Courtois’s red card against Swansea meaning the Premier League champions will be without the Belgium goalkeeper for Sunday’s clash with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
Courtois was shown a straight red for a foul on the Swansea striker Bafétimbi Gomis, who converted the subsequent penalty past the Chelsea debutant Asmir Begovic, in a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. Begovic is almost certain to win his first Chelsea start against City, impressive 3-0 winners against West Brom on Monday, as a result.
A Football Association statement read: “The goalkeeper was dismissed for denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity in the 52nd minute of Chelsea’s game against Swansea City at Stamford Bridge on Saturday (8 August 2015).
“Therefore, the player’s one-match suspension, which is the standard penalty for this offence, remains with immediate effect.
“For a club to be successful with a claim of wrongful dismissal, it must prove to an Independent Regulatory Commission via written and/or video evidence that the match referee made an obvious error.”
