Diego Costa: Chelsea striker banned for three matches

English Premier League champion Chelsea will be without Diego Costa for three matches after the combative Spain striker was punished for his off-the-ball antics in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Arsenal.

The 26-year-old was charged with an “alleged act of violent conduct” after video evidence showed he hit out at Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny.

The incident, which happened just before halftime at Stamford Bridge, was not seen by the match officials.

“The Chelsea forward will, therefore, serve the standard penalty of a three-match suspension with immediate effect,” the English Football Association said in a statement Tuesday.

It means he will miss Wednesday’s League Cup match against Walsall plus Premier League clashes with Newcastle and Southampton.

Meanwhile, Arsenal successfully appealed against the three-match ban of defender Gabriel Paulista, who was dismissed for violent conduct by referee Mike Dean after retaliating following his own tussle with Costa.

“Arsenal’s claim of wrongful dismissal in relation to Gabriel has been upheld following an Independent Regulatory Commission hearing,” the FA said.

“The player is currently subject to a separate FA charge of improper conduct in relation to Saturday’s game and has until 6 p.m. on Thursday to reply.

Both London clubs have been charged for failing to control their players and are expected to reply to the charge by Thursday. Arsenal midfielder Santi Cazorla, who was also sent off, was warned about his behavior when the charges were laid on Monday.

Brazil-born Costa was Chelsea’s top scorer last season after joining from Atletico Madrid, but he was banned for three matches for stamping on Liverpool’s Emre Can.

Arsene Wenger had called Costa’s actions at the weekend “unacceptable behavior” – but Chelsea counterpart Jose Mourinho made a novel defense for his agent provocateur Costa, likening the soccer star to a rugby player.

“He can do what he wants, he stays on and everybody else who responds to him has to be sent off. I think it is unacceptable his behavior,” Wenger said of Costa, who was booked for his initial tussle with Paulista.

“If you look well at the pictures what he does to Koscielny before he pushes him down, he hits him in the face and the throat, he always gets away with it.

“It is surprising and I don’t understand (referee) Mike Dean’s decision at all, not on the sending-off – why does Diego Costa stay on the pitch and Gabriel sent off?

“Okay I accept he has not to react at all. Gabriel is guilty for getting involved, of course he should not have responded at all, but Koscielny had no choice.”

Wenger had been hoping for Arsenal’s first Premier League win against Chelsea since 2011, having triumphed in the preseason Community Shield clash in August.

But instead the spoils belonged to Mourinho, who forced a handshake with his bitter rival before the match kicked off.

The Portuguese manager refused to criticize the behavior of Costa in his press conference.

“He played like he has to play. And that’s why you have full stadiums, you sell to televisions around the world for millions and millions, because the game has to be played like that,” Mourinho told reporters Saturday, before likening Costa’s aggression to that of a rugby player.

When a reporter claimed Costa should have had three or four bookings, Mourinho suggested that the journalist did not understand physical sport.

“You didn’t play rugby. Trust me. You played badminton. It’s a great sport. Badminton is a great sport,” he said.

Mourinho also used an oval-ball analogy to claim that Chelsea should have had two penalties.

“What Gabriel Paulista did to Eden Hazard is something that is allowed in rugby and not in football. And in the box it’s a penalty. And in the second half (Hector Bellerin) did the same on Diego Costa. In rugby it’s fantastic; in football it’s a penalty.”

Mourinho was clearly enjoying himself, and concluded by saying Wenger “has to cope with his defeat” – a reference to the Frenchman’s prematch taunt that the former Real Madrid coach would have to get used to losing after Chelsea’s poor start to the new season.

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