London: Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas has had his ban for kicking a ball at Chris Brunt’s head during Monday’s 3-0 Premier League defeat by West Bromwich Albion reduced from three games to one.
Fabregas was due to have missed the Community Shield and the first league game of next season, but now he will just sit out Chelsea’s final game of the season at home to Sunderland on Sunday. Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho questioned the dismissal after the game and called it “bizarre”.
He said: “Where is the danger of the situation, where is the aggression in the situation to get the red card in [effectively] a friendly game? For me a top referee, a stable, big personality and in control of the game, goes there, two or three words and it’s done. It’s a bizarre red card. A three-game ban for this? Harsh? Of course it’s harsh. Why does he have to explain? He doesn’t need to explain.”
Chelsea revealed their satisfaction at the verdict in a statement, saying: “The club’s claim that a three-match suspension is excessive was successful.”
Chelsea and Manchester City are watching developments over Alex Song, who is wanted by a clutch of Italian clubs. Song has spent the season on loan at West Ham United from Barcelona, but is not expected to stay at Upton Park next term.
Barcelona are willing to let Song, 27, go, either permanently or on loan, in the summer and Roma, Inter and AC Milan have all expressed an interest. But midfielder Song’s status as a home-grown player has also alerted Chelsea and City to his situation. The Cameroon international first moved to England on loan at Arsenal as a 17-year-old and he stayed for seven years after making his switch permanent.
Song is not a priority for either Chelsea or City, but could be a useful squad player for either club depending on the rest of their summer business. Mourinho used central defender Kurt Zouma as an emergency defensive midfielder this season when Nemanja Matic was out.
Signing Song on loan for a season would allow Chelsea to continue the development of teenager Ruben Loftus-Cheek, while having experienced cover available. City expect to sell Yaya Toure to Inter Milan and also face the prospect of England midfielder James Milner leaving on a free transfer.
Song, who has friends at Chelsea and City, played superbly during the first half of the season for West Ham. West Ham want to replace him with Sampdoria midfielder Pedro Obiang, who could cost £8 million (Dh46 million).
— The Telegraph Group Limited, London 2015
