Gunners and Blues contest reds
The brawl marred an otherwise entertaining game
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Monday, 26, Feb 2007 09:58
Arsenal and Chelsea have appealed against the red cards handed to Emmanuel Adebayor and Jon Obi Mikel in yesterday's fiery Carling Cup final.
The Football Association has received claims for wrongful dismissal from both clubs after Adebayor and Mikel were sent off for violent conduct.
Mikel and Adebayor, along with Arsenal's Kolo Toure, were given their marching orders for the mass brawl in stoppage time that marred Chelsea's 2-1 victory at the Millennium Stadium.
A furious Adebayor, who had only been on the field for a few minutes, initially refused to leave the pitch after receiving a red card from referee Howard Webb.
The Togo striker protested his innocence after the game.
"My reaction after the card did not mean I wanted to hit the referee - I just wanted to know why he gave me the red card. I do not think I did anything wrong," Adebayor said.
Mikel was dismissed for his bust-up with Toure which sparked the brawl between both sets of players.
The Nigerian youngster today apologised for his behaviour but insisted he did not deserve to be sent off.
"I can only apologise for what happened, I am very sorry about it. I really can't explain what happened but I pulled him [Toure] and the referee gave a free-kick to them," Mikel said.
"I think Toure attacked me but the referee showed me the red card. I am really sorry for what happened.
"The referee had already given them a free-kick so why did he attack me? I don't know - I don't have a clue about it.
"I didn't touch him, I kept my hands down. But he didn't punch me. All I knew was that he attacked me. We didn't fight - it wasn't a serious fight but I had to defend myself."
The claims will be heard by the FA's disciplinary commission tomorrow.