£100k fines for scrapping Blues and Gunners
Both clubs admitted the charges
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Tuesday, 27, Mar 2007 10:49
London rivals Arsenal and Chelsea have been fined £100,000 each by the FA for charges relating to the mass brawl that broke out towards the end of last month's Carling Cup final.
Both of the clubs had admitted the charges, which included failing to ensure their players and officials conducted themselves in an orderly fashion and refrained from provocative or violent behaviour.
As the clock ticked down in injury time at the Millennium Stadium on February 25th with Chelsea leading 2-1, Arsenal captain Kolo Toure was involved in a tangle with Blues midfielder Jon Obi Mikel.
As Toure squared up to the Nigerian for apparent time-wasting tactics a "mass confrontation" broke out between both sets of players, with coaching staff and officials, including Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger, running on to the pitch to try to calm matters.
A statement from the FA's disciplinary commission hearing said that it "viewed the incident as serious, unacceptable and damaging to the image of the game".
"However, it bore into account the guilty pleas and the mitigation put forward by both clubs.
"It found that Arsenal players had been marginally more involved in the Carling Cup final incident, but that Chelsea had past proven cases in recent years regarding the general behaviour of their players where warnings had been issued."
Referee Howard Webb handed out three red cards in the aftermath of the brawl, with Mikel, Toure and Adebayor all given their marching orders.
The confrontation between the two sets of players spoiled an otherwise absorbing match, which saw Chelsea claim the first serious silverware of the season thanks to a brace from Didier Drogba.