Chelsea have seen their appeal for Thibaut Courtois‘s red card rejected by the Football Association, and the Belgium No.1 will consequently sit out the clash against Manchester City on Sunday.
The 23-year-old was sent off in the 51st minute at Stamford Bridge after being adjudged to have illegally denied Swansea City centre-forward Bafetimbi Gomis a clear goalscoring chance.
BBC Sport reported that the Blues had appealed the one-match ban, however, the FA have stated that the reigning Premier League champions failed to prove that Michael Oliver had made a mistake in his decision.
“For a club to be successful with a claim of wrongful dismissal, it must prove to an Independent Regulatory Commission via written and/or video evidence that the match referee made an obvious error.”
His ban will come into effect immediately, which means that summer signing Asmir Begovic is set to start against the Citizens on Sunday evening, with third-choice stopper Jamal Blackman poised to be his back-up on the bench.
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The draw with Garry Monk’s side on the opening day of the EPL weekend has been marred with controversy.
Along with Courtois’s dismissal early in the second-half, Chelsea doctor Eva Carneiro is in the club’s bad books after being confronted by a furious Jose Mourinho after tending to Eden Hazard, who appeared injured following a challenge in added time.
According to the Telegraph, her role at the club has been significantly altered since the incident, although not directly as a result of her actions during the Swansea City match. She will no longer be present at training sessions, on the match-day bench, and will not be allowed to enter the team hotel. She will, however, continue to work at their Cobham training ground, the British newspaper report.
Carneiro, as with Courtois, is set to play no part at the Etihad.