Chelsea admit FA misconduct charge

Brawling players marred the Carling Cup final
Chelsea have admitted a Football Association charge of failing to control their players and/or officials in the Carling Cup final.
The Blues have asked for a hearing to answer the charge, which has also been laid against Arsenal.

On Thursday, Arsenal defender Emmanuel Eboue was found guilty of violent conduct and banned for three matches as a result of an incident in the final.

He joins Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor in serving a three-match ban.

Eboue, 23, was found to have hit Chelsea's Wayne Bridge in a fracas at the end of the Gunners' 2-1 defeat.

Referee Howard Webb missed the incident involving Eboue and Bridge, but the FA used video and documentary evidence to charge and sanction the Ivorian.

They and Chelsea midfielder Mikel John Obi were all shown red cards during the game.

On Tuesday, the FA rejected the appeals of Adebayor and Mikel for wrongful dismissal.

Togo striker Adebayor has also been charged with improper conduct for reacting aggressively to his sending off and failing to leave the field of play.

He has denied that charge on Wednesday and will have his case heard by a disciplinary commission on Tuesday.

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Arsenal have until 14 March to respond, but rival bosses Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho have not been charged, despite coming on to the pitch during the brawl.

The full FA charge alleges that Chelsea and Arsenal failed to ensure that their "players and/or officials conducted themselves in an orderly fashion and/or refrained from provocative and/or violent behaviour."

Ivory Coast international Toure said: "I apologise for this moment, and I regret my actions.

"Chelsea were winning and were starting to waste time, and I was not happy with that, which is why I went to Mikel and had some words with him.

"Then Lampard came in and maybe made the thing bigger than it was, but that is part of football."

Gunners striker Adebayor said: "My reaction after the card did not mean I wanted to hit the referee - I just wanted to know why he gave me the red card.

"I do not think I did anything wrong."