The Football Association (FA) has fined Chelsea FC £325,000 and West Ham United FC £300,000 after an independent regulatory commission ruled that both clubs failed to control their players during a mass confrontation at the end of their Premier League fixture on January 31.
The incident, which occurred in the closing moments of a tense London derby at Stamford Bridge, drew in nearly 20 players as tensions erupted in stoppage time. The flashpoint came after West Ham winger Adama Traore shoved Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella, prompting Chelsea forward Joao Pedro to react aggressively and sparking a wider confrontation.
West Ham defender Jean-Clair Todibo was then shown a straight red card by referee Anthony Taylor following a VAR review, after he was seen grabbing Joao Pedro by the throat.
The commission did not place sole blame on West Ham. It found that Cucurella had sought to provoke a reaction from Traore after conceding a corner, noting that while Traore’s response was disproportionate, Cucurella was not entirely without fault. The commission also found that three Chelsea players had attempted to incite the crowd during the incident, describing the behaviour as unjustifiable regardless of the circumstances.
Both clubs admitted the FA charges. In determining the size of the fines, the regulatory commission factored in the clubs’ previous breaches of FA Rule E20.1, which prohibits conduct deemed improper, offensive, violent, threatening, abusive, indecent, insulting or provocative.
The confrontation came moments after Chelsea had completed a remarkable comeback from two goals down, winning 3-2 through Enzo Fernandez’s injury-time goal. What should have been the defining moment of a dramatic contest was instead overshadowed by the disorder that followed.
