Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Mousa Dembele has been handed a lengthy ban by the English Football Association.
Dembele, 28, was not seen by officials but was spotted by cameras gouging Diego Costa in the eye during Tottenham’s heated 2-2 draw at Chelsea on Monday which ended Spurs’ title hopes.
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The Belgian international will now miss the remaining two games of the 2015-16 Premier League season as well as the opening four games of next season.
The maximum ban for his charge of violent conduct is seven games but Dembele has decided to contest the length of the ban.
Below is a statement in full from the FA:Mousa Dembélé will serve a six-match suspension with immediate effect after he committed an act of violent conduct which was not seen by the match officials but caught on video.
The Tottenham Hotspur midfielder accepted the charge but denied The FA’s claim that the standard punishment of three matches which would otherwise apply to this offence was clearly insufficient.
An Independent Regulatory Commission upheld The FA’s claim at a hearing today [Friday 6 May 2016] and ordered that an additional three-match suspension was appropriate.
The player was involved in an incident with Chelsea’s Diego Costa in or around the 45th minute of the fixture at Stamford Bridge on Monday [2 May 2016].Follow @JPW_NBCSports