Chelsea midfielder Mikel given three-game ban for part in Clattenburg row

The FA have announced that Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has been given a three-match ban and fined £60,000 for "using threatening and/or abusive and/or insulting words and/or behaviour" in the aftermath of his side's game against Manchester United in October.

The Nigerian international stormed into the match officials' changing room after the Blues' 3-2 defeat at Stamford Bridge and angrily confronted referee Mark Clattenburg, who he allegedly believed to have racially abused team-mate Ramires.


The referee was recently cleared of any misbehaviour, and Mikel's personal disciplinary hearing will keep him out of Satrday's match against Sunderland.

The statement on the FA's official website read: "Chelsea's John Obi Mikel has been given a three-match suspension to begin with immediate effect and fined £60,000 following an Independent Regulatory Commission hearing today [Thursday 6 December 2012].

"Mikel had requested a personal hearing after admitting an FA charge of using threatening and/or abusive and/or insulting words and/or behaviour.

"The breach of FA Rule E3 was in relation to an incident which occurred in the match official's changing room at the end of Chelsea's fixture against Manchester United on 28 October 2012.

"The Regulatory Commission’s independent chairman Christopher Quinlan QC emphasised that the Independent Regulatory Commission accepted, as did The FA, that at the time he threatened the referee the player genuinely believed that the referee had racially abused him.

"But for that factor the suspension would have been significantly longer.

Subsequently The FA investigated the allegation that the referee racially abused the player and found that there was not a case for him to answer."

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No problem as now the Catalan Rjjikard can start over this drama queen.

I'm not even going to get into how ridiculous this ban is and I'm dissapointed you actually think its justified Arq. Shame.

Falsely blaming a referee for racism. How dare they ban him for that.

In my opinion one thing which is equally as bad as racism (Not physical attacks, verbal) is playing the racist card and falsly accusing somebody of being racist. That can get a person into deep sht with people he knows as well as a job. Mikel either geniunely felt he was rascially abused or was a complete **** to the reff. If it was the latter I now consider him scum.

This wouldn't have happened if Mikel were English.

BarrileteCosmico wrote:This wouldn't have happened if Mikel were English.

Very true and haters gonna hate, because twattenburg aka the dodgiest ref in the league even more so than Howard will NEVER ref a Chelsea game ever again because how can he be impartial after this affair.

Well done Mikel took one for the team

What you on about lol....

Terry got a 4 game ban despite being proven innocent in court....

Anyway chat pls.

Gil wrote:I'm not even going to get into how ridiculous this ban is and I'm dissapointed you actually think its justified Arq. Shame.

I don't think its justified as I barely know on its finer details, Gil. I'm just trolling the Chelsea fans. I hold no opinion of this in any spectrum.

TomJuve wrote:In my opinion one thing which is equally as bad as racism (Not physical attacks, verbal) is playing the racist card and falsly accusing somebody of being racist. That can get a person into deep sht with people he knows as well as a job. Mikel either geniunely felt he was rascially abused or was a complete **** to the reff. If it was the latter I now consider him scum.

This. Racism is bad enough. Falsely accusing someone about being racist. Justice has been served.

Have to consider how it will affect people coming forward in the future, especially if it was based on a language difference... foreign players will be very wary to make any claims after this incident.

RealGunner wrote:Falsely blaming a referee for racism. How dare they ban him for that.

That is NOT why he was banned. He was banned because he stormed into the referee's dressing roomed and threathened the ref. Read it again, will you?

Why are the lot of you claiming he was banned for "false accusation?"

It clearly states that he was banned because:

"Mikel had requested a personal hearing after admitting an FA charge of using threatening and/or abusive and/or insulting words and/or behaviour."

Maybe you should try reading again? If you think you've been racially abused you're not at fault WHATSOEVER for reporting the case. You can however, be punished for confronting, threathening and abusing a ref, which I think he would have served punishment for regardless whether Twattenburg was found guilty or not.

The racism part shortened his suspension I think.

wow didn't hear anything about that till the ban lol

my bad

Yohan Modric wrote:The racism part shortened his suspension I think.

"The Regulatory Commission’s independent chairman Christopher Quinlan QC emphasised that the Independent Regulatory Commission accepted, as did The FA, that at the time he threatened the referee the player genuinely believed that the referee had racially abused him.

"But for that factor the suspension would have been significantly longer."

Exactly.

Blue Barrett wrote:Why are the lot of you claiming he was banned for "false accusation?"

It clearly states that he was banned because:

"Mikel had requested a personal hearing after admitting an FA charge of using threatening and/or abusive and/or insulting words and/or behaviour."

Maybe you should try reading again? If you think you've been racially abused you're not at fault WHATSOEVER for reporting the case. You can however, be punished for confronting, threathening and abusing a ref, which I think he would have served punishment for regardless whether Twattenburg was found guilty or not.

I never claimed that was the reason he was banned. But the point stands. Mikel did claim to be racially abused I wasn't talking about the ban.

Referees Union “dismayed at lenient punishment” given to Chelsea's John Obi Mikel by FA for threatening Mark Clattenburg.

Sky Sports

RealGunner wrote:Referees Union “dismayed at lenient punishment” given to Chelsea's John Obi Mikel by FA for threatening Mark Clattenburg.

Sky Sports

Have to agree with them tbh.

Firenze wrote:

RealGunner wrote:Referees Union “dismayed at lenient punishment” given to Chelsea's John Obi Mikel by FA for threatening Mark Clattenburg.

Sky Sports

Have to agree with them tbh.

Of course you do

Is there anything anti-Chelsea/Mikel on this issue you don't agree with?

a player states he was racially abused by a ref. no sufficient evidence of this happening. ref is let go.
player responds by swearing / abusive language or whatever you wanna call it upon hearing racial abuse.
player is suspended for 3 games.

so ridiculous on so many levels. what a joke.

Great Leader Sprucenuce wrote:What you on about lol....

Terry got a 4 game ban despite being proven innocent in court....

Anyway chat pls.

If Terry were not English he would've gotten 8