Diego Costa Calls Emre Can Incident Accidental

Diego Costa served the first of his three match suspension today by sitting out in the top of the table clash against Manchester City. The match ended in a draw and Costa’s replacement Loic Remy scored the opening goal, but the physical striker could have been the difference. Instead he was forced to watch the match from behind the match for an incident that he and many others believe was an accident.

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In a surprising move, the usually tight-lipped Diego Costa gave a lengthy interview to The Telegraph in which he spoke at length about a variety of subjects. The first of course was whether or not the stamp on Emre Can was on purpose and Costa vehemently denied that.

“As far as what happened on Tuesday, the main thing is when I get home I can go home and I can go to sleep knowing that I’ve not done anything wrong, because I never meant to do that and it was not on purpose,’ said Costa. So with his conscious clear, Costa went home and slept soundly after the semifinal match against Liverpool. That rest was well deserved after putting in a great shift for 120 minutes in a match that felt like a cup final.

Costa also spoke about his demeanor on the field and that he knows he is no angel but he does not do anything wrong on the pitch. He says he takes it to the limit but does not go over the edge. Other pundits agreed that Costa is usually pushing the defenders’ buttons but he is not usually the aggressor. The problem is that referees in the modern game do not know how to deal with a player like Costa because he is such a throwback. Not many players these days wind up the opposition the way Diego Costa does and Chelsea have not had a player like him in a long time.

In the case of the Emre Can incident, it truly did seem like an accident even when viewed in slow motion. Can slid under Costa’s feet and knocked the ball out of bounds. Costa steps over him to try and pick up the ball for a throw in and Can is flailing his legs around and Costa steps on his outstretched ankle. He was not looking at Can when he stepped on him and there did not seem to be any extra force in the stamp when Costa goes chasing after the loose ball.

Here is a short clip of the incident where you can judge for yourself:

Even if it was intentional, players have committed far worse and not gotten banned but Diego Costa gets a full three match ban for what is his first offense. Sergio Aguero jumps on David Luiz and is not banned, Raheem Sterling swings at a Swansea City defender and is not banned, but let a Chelsea player step out of line and he gets the book thrown at him.