Diego Costa – FA Punishes Chelsea FC’s Resident Bad Boy
You’ve all heard the news by now, Chelsea FC striker Diego Costa has been suspended from playing for the next three matches by the FA. Costa was found guilty of violent conduct for what some believed was a purposeful stamp on Liverpool centerback Emre Can. Those saying that it was not on purpose were a vocal majority and that belief was echoed by a whole host of pundits and talking heads.
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Personalities ranging from former Liverpool players like Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher to former Manchester United stars like Paul Scholes all felt that the stamp was not on purpose. They all believed that Diego Costa was not even looking at Can’s leg when he stepped on it and the Liverpool player was flailing his legs around anyway. Even when you review the tape of the incident as it has been shared millions of times through Vine and YouTube clips, it is hard to judge Costa’s intent.
Many believed, including Gary Lineker, that because the intent is hard to judge then Costa would not be suspended. Chelsea fans knew however, that the FA’s “justice” would come swift and strong against the striker. So why did the FA act so swiftly on this case?
Usually it takes a few days for the FA to process the tape of the incident and then decide to charge the player or manager. Then the player would be given another few days to appeal the claim and present evidence supporting his claim. Presumably this would have given Diego Costa the chance to appeal the match after this weekend and be able to participate in the biggest match on the Premier League’s calendar this year.
Instead of acting like the old bureaucracy they are, the FA decided to charge Diego Costa within 24 hours and give him a day to appeal the suspension. Then after hearing his appeal, they decided to suspend him for three matches for an incident that the assistant referee saw and chose not to caution Costa for. The usual timeline of 7-10 days has been reduced to just three days between incident and suspension and this was without a card being shown in the match.
The difference in Costa’s case is two-fold. The Brazilian/Spaniard has built himself quite a reputation since arriving in the Premier League. He was always known as a “hard man” from his time at Atletico Madrid and he is known for bringing his street football attitude to the pitch.
He regularly provokes opponents in to committing silly fouls on him and he is involved in at least one face to face stare down every match. Every move he makes on the pitch is under a microscope because of his reputation. The FA feels like they have a repeat offender on their hands and want to make an example of him.
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The second difference, although a bit of a stretch, has more to do with the FA wanting to keep the Premier League title race close. Manchester City is missing its best player in Yaya Toure and they have been struggling in his absence. If they travel to Stamford Bridge and lose, the Blues end the week top of the table with a 8-point gap.
A draw or Chelsea loss suits the FA better because it will tighten up the title race and keep things interesting much longer. So you may have to put on your conspiracy glasses to believe the second reason for the FA’s speedy reaction but we all know that at the end of the day money talks and a tighter title race makes for more viewers and more money for the Premier League.