Chelsea's Alonso banned for three matches
Chelsea defender Marcos Alonso has been banned for three matches for his challenge on Southampton's Shane Long, the English Football Association (FA) announced yesterday.
The left wing-back appeared to stand on the back of Long's leg during their England Premier League game last Saturday and the incident went unpunished by referee Mike Dean.
Alonso was found guilty at a hearing on Wednesday. He is ruled out of their EPL game at Burnley this morning (Singapore time), Sunday's FA Cup semi-final against Southampton and the league trip to Swansea on April 28.
"Marcos Alonso will miss Chelsea's next three matches after an Independent Regulatory Commission ruled he had committed an act of violent conduct against Southampton's Shane Long," the FA said in a statement.
"Alonso denied the charge and further submitted that if found proven the suspension would be excessive. However, this was rejected following Wednesday's hearing."
The 27-year-old Spanish defender was this week named in the Professional Footballers' Association's EPL Team of the Year.
He was the only representative from Chelsea. - AFP
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