Chelsea, West Ham sanctioned over January clash at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea and West Ham United have been fined £325,000 and £300,000 respectively following a mass confrontation during their January meeting in the Premier League.

The sanctions were confirmed after both clubs admitted breaching FA rules relating to improper and provocative conduct.

According to a statement from the Football Association, Chelsea failed to ensure their players refrained from behaving in an improper and/or provocative manner in the 95th minute, while West Ham were charged for not preventing improper, provocative and/or violent conduct at the same moment.

An independent regulatory commission described the episode as “a serious incident” involving multiple Chelsea players. The panel also noted that both sides had previous breaches under FA Rule E20.1, which prohibits behaviour deemed improper, offensive, violent, threatening, abusive, indecent, insulting or provocative. Those prior offences were considered when determining the fines.

The flashpoint occurred deep into added time at Stamford Bridge. Tensions escalated after Chelsea forward Joao Pedro reacted to a shove by West Ham winger Adama Traore on Blues defender Marc Cucurella. Players from both teams converged, resulting in heated scenes that required a lengthy VAR review.

Following the review, referee Anthony Taylor issued a straight red card to West Ham defender Jean-Clair Todibo for grabbing Joao Pedro by the neck.

In its written reasons, the commission rejected suggestions that Cucurella bore no responsibility. It stated he was aware of his actions after conceding a corner and rising to his feet, adding that he “sought to invite a reaction” from Traore.

However, it stressed that this did not justify what it described as Traore’s “disproportionate reaction,” which it identified as the catalyst for the confrontation.

The panel further observed that three Chelsea players attempted to incite the crowd during and toward the end of the incident, behaviour it said had no justification regardless of prior events in the game. It acknowledged Chelsea’s admission of the charge and noted the club’s contrition.

While the commission confirmed there was no violent conduct from any additional West Ham players beyond Todibo, it ruled that a large number of their players acted improperly and provocatively, contributing to what it termed a serious and unsightly episode.