Chelsea ´extremely disappointed´ at Costa sanction

Chelsea say they are “extremely disappointed” by the Football Association’s decision to suspend striker Diego Costa for three games following his conduct in Saturday’s defeat of Arsenal.

Costa was involved in a series of incidents with Arsenal defenders Laurent Koscielny and Gabriel in the 2-0 victory at Stamford Bridge.

Gabriel was sent-off for kicking out at the striker after a bout of verbal jousting, though the Brazilian’s own three-match ban has since been rescinded by the FA.

Referee Mike Dean cautioned the Spain international for an altercation with Koscielny just before half-time that left the Frenchman floored.

But it is an earlier clash between the two – which saw Costa swing his arm and catch Koscielny in the face – which has prompted the FA to ban the striker, having dismissed the 26-year-old’s appeal against his violent-conduct charge.

‘We are extremely disappointed with the FA Regulatory Commission’s decision to suspend Diego Costa. We will await their written reasons before commenting further,” read a Chelsea statement on Tuesday.

An FA statement earlier in the day outlined the punishment meted out to the former Atletico Madrid striker.

It read: “An FA charge against Diego Costa for violent conduct not seen by the match officials but caught on video has been found proven following an Independent Regulatory Commission hearing.

“The Chelsea forward will, therefore, serve the standard penalty of a three-match suspension with immediate effect. 

“The charge, which the player denied, was in relation to an incident involving Arsenal’s Laurent Koscielny in the 43rd minute of the game on Saturday [19 September 2015].”

As a result of the ban Costa will miss the League Cup clash with Walsall on Wednesday, plus the upcoming league matches with Newcastle United and Southampton.

It is the second time in Costa’s Chelsea career that he has been banned after a match, following a stamp on Liverpool’s Emre Can last season.