Update: Chelsea pays the price for Anthony Taylor’s incompetence

Last week supporters learnt that Chelsea was being charged with misconduct by The Football Association for its behaviour in the match against Liverpool. The blockbuster match—which ended in a 1-1 draw—had all the excitement of proper, robust English football. Not only did fans get to witness some stellar football, but there was also a lot of drama surrounding Reece James and the first half red card. Although the Blues did manage to see out the game and hold the former Premier League champions at their own home, it seems like the red card incident is causing them more and more trouble.

To recap quickly for those who might have forgotten, basically what happened was referee Anthony Taylor gave James a red card for a handball on the line, which he deemed to be deliberate. While a red card would be justifiable had the defender stopped the ball with his hand on purpose, on the VAR screens, it clearly showed the ball hitting the player’s thigh and then bouncing off his arm. However, Taylor only saw a still image of the ball hitting James’ arm, and he sent him off. This stirred an outrage amongst the  Chelsea players, who were quick to confront the referee about his decision. The players once again confronted the official after the halftime whistle had been blown, resulting in the latest development.

Chelsea has been fined by the FA for failing to control its players following the red card shown to Reece James

While the players were angry, none of them was disrespectful toward the referee and spectators could clearly see captain Cesar Azpilicueta preventing his players from talking to the referee after the end of the first half. Their anger was justified and, in the opinion of many, the players handled themselves as well as they could in that heated situation. However, according to the FA, Chelsea failed to maintain the conduct of its players. The club was charged for two time periods: the 48′ and at the end of the first half.

Now it has been confirmed that the FA has fined the club £25,000 for the two charges. Chelsea has decided not to fight the charges and has accepted that its players had crossed a line while talking to Taylor. An official statement from the FA read:

"“Chelsea FC has been fined £25,000 for two breaches of FA rule E20.1 which occurred during their Premier League fixture against Liverpool FC on Saturday 28 August 2021. The club admitted failing to ensure that its players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion during both the 48th minute of the first half and following the half-time whistle.” –BBC SPORT"

Chelsea is not new to paying fines and facing charges of misconduct. Most recently, the club had to pay a fine during a row with Leicester City players after their match in last season’s Premier League. However, while that fine was still acceptable, this one seems a lot harsher since there was no physical exchange between the two teams. After all, the Blues were just making their case to the referee as they felt that their teammate did not intentionally block the ball with his hand.

Both the managers accepted that the decision was harsh, as well. Yet, the London side continues to pay for the incompetence of Taylor. In a big game where tension is already high, such a game-changing moment can easily make players lose their composure. However, the Blues handled the situation with relative dignity. Sadly, it seems the FA thought otherwise and the situation—which could have been easily avoided had Taylor looked at the whole video—has now gone on to cost the Blues two points, as well as £25,000.

Do you think Chelsea players behaved in an unruly manner toward Taylor? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!