The FA has charged Chelsea winger Pedro Neto with bad behaviour after he got a red card against Arsenal last Sunday. The 25-year-old Portuguese international got two quick yellow cards during the Blues’ 2-1 loss at the Emirates Stadium. He could now face more punishment than just a one-match suspension.
The event happened not long after Jurrien Timber gave Arsenal the lead back. Neto was given a warning for arguing after he angrily protested the goal. Three minutes later, he got a second yellow card for a foul on Gabriel Martinelli to stop a counter-attack. But his actions after being sent off have gotten him into even more trouble with the English football authorities.
The FA says that Neto didn’t leave the field right away and may have used abusive language toward the officials after being told to leave. Reports say that the winger yelled and pointed at fourth official Stuart Attwell as he walked toward the tunnel. Chelsea’s backroom staff then pulled him away. Neto has until Monday, March 9, to answer the charge.
The winger already served his automatic one-match ban, which meant he missed Chelsea’s convincing win over Aston Villa in the middle of the week. If the charge is proven, the FA could take more action against Neto, such as fines and longer suspensions, depending on what they find he did.
How Many Red Cards Has Chelsea Received This Season?
Pedro Neto’s red card against Arsenal was Chelsea’s 10th of the season in all competitions. Nine different players, including former head coach Enzo Maresca, have been sent off. This is a shocking number that has defined the Blues’ campaign for all the wrong reasons.
After the loss to Arsenal, Rosenior admitted how bad the situation was by saying:
“We need to do something [about our discipline], for sure. I need to speak to the coaching staff, the staff around the club, the players, because it’s not acceptable.”
The list of people who have been kicked out includes everyone on the team, from goalkeeper Robert Sanchez’s red card against Manchester United in the fifth minute of the game in September to Neto’s recent sending off. Trevoh Chalobah, Malo Gusto, Liam Delap, Moises Caicedo, Marc Cucurella, Wesley Fofana, and Joao Pedro have all gotten red cards in the meantime.
Chelsea are still trying to qualify for the Champions League and go deep in several cup competitions. This ongoing lack of discipline could end up being the biggest problem of their season.