It was always going to be a long shot, but Chelsea’s appeal against Thibaut Courtois’ red card in their season opener against Swansea City has been unsuccessful.
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Courtois, 23, clipped Bafetimbi Gomis on the edge of the box in Chelsea’s 2-2 draw against Swansea at Stamford Bridge on the opening day (watch it unfold in the video above) and referee Michael Oliver sent off the Belgian goalkeeper and also awarded the Swans a penalty kick which Gomis scored to grab them a point.
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Chelsea’s manager Jose Mourinho didn’t want to comment on the incident after the game, but an appeal against Courtois’ dismissal and subsequent one-match ban was launched by the Blues on Monday.
However, in a statement released on Tuesday the English Football Association revealed Chelsea had been unsuccessful and Courtois will now miss the monster clash against Manchester City on Sunday (Watch live, 11 a.m. ET on NBCSN and online via Live Extra).
Here’s what the FA had to say:A claim of wrongful dismissal submitted by Chelsea in relation to Thibaut Courtois has been unsuccessful following an Independent Regulatory Commission hearing earlier today.
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.
This means that Courtois will likely be replaced by Asmir Begovic in goal, as the new signing from Stoke City will be thrown in at the deep end for the reigning Premier League champions in what could be a pivotal match against their main title rivals away from home.
