Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matić has had his three-match ban for violent conduct reduced to two games, but the Serbian will still miss this weekend's League Cup final against Tottenham Hotspur. Matić reacted angrily to a bad tackle from Ashley Barnes as The Blues were held to a one-all draw at home to Burnley at the weekend, and was sent off for pushing the forward over.
The club appealed against the decision to ban Matić on Tuesday, and the FA's independent regulatory commission decided to partially uphold the ban. Despite this minor victory, Chelsea have released a statement claiming to be "extremely disappointed and frustrated" that the 26-year-old, a key component of the Blues' midfield pivot with Cesc Fábregas, will still serve a ban.
Matić will now miss Sunday's Wembley final with Spurs, as well as a Premier League clash with West Ham on Wednesday 4th March. However, he will now be available for the home game with Southampton on Sunday 15th March, while his ban had no bearing on the second leg of their Champions League tie with Paris Saint-Germain.
The statement on Chelsea's official website, titled 'Chelsea FC appalled with the FA's decision on Matić', said that the club's board was dis-satisfied that the commission ruled against reducing the ban by the "maximum extent permitted under FA rules".
It continued: "There has been universal condemnation of the reckless challenge made by Ashley Barnes on Matić and it is the club's view that he has been unjustly punished with a two-match ban for his reaction to a career-threatening tackle." However, FA regulatory commission chairman Roger Burden said the panel had "rejected the mitigation advanced by Nemanja Matić in respect of the provocation and tackle he received which led to his act of violent conduct".
He added: "The violent response of Mr Matić to the nature of the tackle cannot be condoned and does not vindicate his subsequent actions. The members of the Commission did, however, accept the mitigation in respect of the level of force used by Mr Matić and the nature of the contact he made with Mr Barnes."