England captain John Terry is facing censure from the FA after
attempting to snatch the red card from referee Mike Dean's hand
during Chelsea's stormy encounter with Manchester United on
Sunday.
Dean, who surprised even United boss Sir Alex Ferguson by sending
off John Obi Mikel for a challenge that was a yellow card at best,
has included the actions of Terry as well as a number of other
Chelsea players and staff in the report he has sent to Soho
Square.
At least four Chelsea players crowded around Dean when he decided
to dismiss Mikel for a two-footed tackle and the club will almost
certainly be charged with failing to control their players.
Chelsea assistant manager Steve Clarke is also likely to be
included in the report after confronting Dean in the tunnel at half
time, while Chelsea officials may also be drawn into the
controversy after joining Clarke in expressing their
displeasure.
Chelsea have appealed against Mikel's red card but will almost
certainly fail because FIFA will not allow the FA to downgrade the
card to a yellow. Only if the foul on Patrice Evra was not even
deemed worthy of a booking could Chelsea possibly succeed.
It leaves Terry and the FA in an embarrassing situation,
particularly after the controversy that erupted in the wake of last
season's encounter at Tottenham, when the Chelsea skipper clashed
with referee Graham Poll.
If found guilty, the FA will again have to take a hard line against
the captain of the national team.
Dean has withdrawn from his Carling Cup duties where he was due
to take charge of Tuesday's match between West Bromwich and Cardiff
with an injury collected at Old Trafford. It is his decision to
pull out.
