With Newcastle’s decision to appeal the recent FA charge against Yohan Cabaye, the availability of the midfield maestro was not entirely clear. However, the regulatory commission met on Wednesday and confirmed the original decision, handed out for a “kick out” at the Brighton defender Adam El-Abd, resulting in a three match ban that began last night with the Gameweek 23 fixture at Blackburn. Cabaye will now also miss the next two games against Aston Villa at home and Tottenham away.
Also falling foul of the disciplinary panjandrums this week was Chelsea’s ever-present left back, Ashley Cole. Having already been booked just before the interval of Tuesday’s clash with Swansea for a barge into Gylfi Sigurðsson, Cole was dismissed with a second yellow dished out after a scything challenge on Nathan Dyer. The resulting one match ban means he will miss the weekend fixture with Manchester United at Stamford Bridge, with Chelsea now forced to field an alternative left-back for the first time in 65 premier league games.
There were a few choice names manoeuvring themselves onto the tightrope radar in midweek, with Cole’s Chelsea team-mate, Raul Meireles, picking up his seventh domestic yellow of a season where Chelsea lead the way for disciplinary points, and Stoke’s Robert Huth adding to his already impressive haul of cautions this season. The Tuesday night card was his twelfth in all competitions, and seventh in domestic play. Trumping them both however, was Blackburn’s Jason Lowe, who despite only committing 16 fouls in the league this season (by contrast, Norwich captain Grant Holt has 54), is the first to accrue nine yellow cards from league and cup. Lowe, Huth and Meireles can now all be found moving up a place on the suspension tightrope widget, while a list of the banned players for the gameweek 24 weekend is below.
GAMEWEEK 24 BANS
- Yakubu (BLA) – 1 Red for serious foul play (last of 3 matches)
- Ashley Cole (CHE) – 1 Red for 2 Yellows (1 match)
- Mario Balotelli (MCI) – FA Charge (third of 4 matches)
- Yohan Cabaye (NEW) – FA Charge (second of 3 matches)
- Karl Henry (WOL) – 1 Red for serious foul play (second of 3 matches)
