Chelsea captain Reece James has been charged by the Football Association for an alleged incident in the tunnel after Sunday’s 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge.
According to the BBC, James reportedly confronted the referee on the day, Jarred Gillett, in the Stamford Bridge tunnel after the defeat to Villa and the defender has now been charged by the FA for his behaviour.
The FA said about the incident: “It’s alleged that the defender used improper and/or insulting and/or abusive words and/or behaviour towards a match official in the tunnel after the game.”
James has until 29 September to respond to a charge of breaching FA rule E3.
— FA Spokesperson (@FAspokesperson) September 27, 2023
James was not involved in the match as the right-back has been out of action since Chelsea’s opening game of the season against Liverpool back on August 13 due to a hamstring injury.
However, the England star felt the need to get involved after the Villa clash due to his role as the London club’s captain.
Sunday was another tough day in a poor season for Chelsea as Mauricio Pochettino’s side lost for the third time in six games and saw James’ right-back replacement, Malo Gusto, sent off.