Chelsea FC have been fined £325,000 and West Ham United FC £300,000 following a “mass confrontation” during their Premier League meeting in January.
The incident unfolded in added time at Stamford Bridge when Chelsea forward Joao Pedro reacted to a shove by West Ham’s Adama Traore on defender Marc Cucurella. Players from both sides became involved in heated scenes.
After a lengthy VAR review, Hammers defender Jean-Clair Todibo was shown a straight red card by referee Anthony Taylor for grabbing Joao Pedro by the neck.
The The Football Association charged both clubs with failing to control their players. Each admitted the breaches.
Commission’s findings
An independent regulatory commission described the episode as “a serious incident” and ruled that both sides contributed. It noted that Cucurella appeared to invite a reaction after conceding a corner, though this did not justify Traore’s response.
The commission added that several Chelsea players attempted to incite the crowd during the confrontation. While no other West Ham players were found guilty of violent conduct beyond Todibo, many were judged to have behaved in an improper or provocative manner.
Chelsea had earlier recovered from 2-0 down to win 3-2, with Enzo Fernandez scoring an injury-time goal before tempers flared.
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