Captain Reece James is facing a potential ban after being charged by the FA for allegedly confronting a match official, after Chelsea’s 1-0 loss to Aston Villa.
James had an altercation with referee Jarred Gillett after the game on Sunday, September 24, 2023, and he allegedly used foul language at the referee in the tunnel.
Reece James was absent from the encounter as a result of injury but he was amongst a selected pool of players who were on the substitute bench for the clash against Villa.
FA charge Reece James for allegedly using abusive words at referee Jarred Gillett
The FA released a statement revealing that the defender has been “alleged” to have used nasty words towards a match official after the encounter.
Their statement reads: “It’s alleged that the defender used improper and/or insulting and/or abusive words and/or behavior towards a match official in the tunnel after the game.”
It is understood that James has until September 29, 2023, to respond to a charge of breaching FA rule E3, or otherwise face stipulated punishments.
The 23-year-old sustained a hamstring injury in training on August 17, 2023, and he has battled injury issues since the start of last season.
Reece James has made 148 appearances for Chelsea, scoring 11 goals and providing 20 assists across all competitions.
James made his debut for the Blues on September 25, 2019, in an EFL Cup third-round encounter against Grimsby Town, which ended 7-1 in favor of Chelsea.
Chelsea went down to 10 men on Sunday, September 24, 2023, after Malo Gusto was dismissed for a foul on Aston Villa’s Lucas Digne in the 58th minute.
Gusto was initially shown a yellow card for the foul, but referee Jarred Gillett upgraded his punishment to a red, following a VAR review.
Chelsea progress into the fourth round of the EFL Cup
Chelsea returned to winning ways on Wednesday, September 27, 2023, defeating Brighton by a lone goal scored by Nicolas Jackson.
They progressed into the fourth round of the Carabao Cup via that victory, and they will be aiming that the win signals the start of a renaissance at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues return to Premier League action on Monday, October 2, 2023, visiting Craven Cottage to trade tackles with Fulham.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side sit 14 on the English top-flight league table, 4 points above the relegation zone, and 9 points away from the top 4.
Meanwhile, referee Jarred Gillett apparently infuriated Pochettino and Chelsea players with his manner of officiating on Sunday, September 24, 2023.
Despite signaling for about three minutes of additional time in the first half, the entire three minutes had not elapsed before Gillett blew the whistle for the interval.
Anyway, Reece James could be thankful that the English FA deemed his actions on Sunday, September 24, 2023, as a verbal one, and as such, it is being treated by the FA as a non-standard charge.
Due to that, there is no stipulated sanction or limitations on the possible punishment that James could receive.
