Diego Costa, the Chelsea striker, has been cleared by FA of biting Gareth Barry.
The 27-year-old striker was shown a second yellow in the 84th minute of Everton’s 2-0 win over Chelsea in the FA Cup quarterfinal, after clashing with Barry.
The Spain international raced towards Barry and shoved his head into his and appeared to have bite him. The FA, after reviewing the incident, is satisfied that Costa did not bite him, nor his intentions were malicious.
Barry himself admitted that Costa had not sunk his teeth into his neck.
“Seen a lot of talk about the incident involving me and Diego Costa in the game last night. For the record Diego did not bite me,” Barry told the Fanzai app.
Both Costa and Chelsea will be relieved that FA have not found the striker guilty and satisfied that there was no bite, otherwise, he could have faced a lengthy punishment like Luis Suarez, who was banned for four months for biting Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup.
Costa, however, will not escape punishment for his antics on Merseyside on Saturday, reports the Times.
He will receive a one-match suspension for his dismissal and could be banned for one more match for his aggressive conduct on the pitch.
Costa also appeared to have shouted at referee Michael Oliver’s face on two occasions. The FA are also investigating reports that Costa flicked a V-sign to the Everton fans when he left the pitch.
Suarez received a one match ban for making an offensive gesture towards Fulham supporters while playing for Liverpool in 2011, and in all probability Costa will receive the same fate as well.
If Costa indeed gets a three-match ban, he will miss the games against West Ham, Aston Villa and Swansea City.
Chelsea Latest Transfer News
According to reports in Italy, Chelsea scouts paid a visit to San Siro last weekend to watch Bologna’s highly rated midfielder Amadou Diawara in action.
The Blues, however, are not the only English club interested in signing him, per Di Marzio, Arsenal and the two Manchester clubs are closely following the progress of the 18-year-old midfielder.
Chelsea are seemingly interested in adding a defender to their ranks next summer, and have targeted Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci. The Blues, however, could face a strong competition from Premier League rivals Manchester City.
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