SPORTS

Chelsea were hit with
charges from the English FA over the
conduct of their players on Tuesday
following their stormy west London derby
with QPR which saw them reduced to nine
men.
The FA have also called on Chelsea
manager Andre Villas-Boas to explain his
blistering post-match tirade against
referee Chris Foy and his assistants.
Chelsea’s players have come under the
disciplinary spotlight after several were
seen to surround Foy following his
controversial first-half dismissal of Jose
Bosingwa at Loftus Road.
Villas-Boas later cited the incident as
evidence of Foy’s “card happy”
performance, accusing the referee of
failing to deal with both sides equally as
Chelsea crashed to a 1-0 defeat.
“The FA has today charged Chelsea with
failure to ensure their players conducted
themselves in an orderly fashion,” the FA
said in a statement.
“This relates to an incident involving
Chelsea players surrounding match
official Chris Foy, immediately following
Jose Bosingwa’s dismissal.
“Separately, the FA has written to Chelsea
manager Andre Villas-Boas and asked for
an explanation on his post-match media
comments.
“Villas-Boas has been asked to explain his
comments on match official Chris Foy
and the assistant referees.
“On both counts, the club has until
Friday 28 October to respond.”
Villas-Boas had stood by his remarks at a
press conference on Tuesday shortly
before the FA announced their charges.
“I don’t think I said anything I shouldn’t
have,” Villas-Boas said.
“I would never question the referee’s
integrity. But the fact is that, at the
moment, we are paying heavily in terms
of major decisions.
“Maybe this is what the FA (don’t) want
to hear from me – phrases like, ‘The
referee has influenced heavily three of our
games’.”