Burnley fans bemused by Richarlison's Spurs ban

The 25-year-old Brazili striker scored the only goal of the game for Everton against Chelsea at Goodison Park on May 1st, as the Toffees moved within two points of Burnley with a game in hand in the relegation battle.

He celebrated the goal by throwing a lit blue flare back into the stands.

The former Watford man was charged by the FA for the incident, but would play four of the last five games of the season for Frank Lampard’s side, scoring twice, including a critical equaliser in the 3-2 home win over Crystal Palace, which secured safety with a game to play.

He last week completed a £60m move to Spurs, and now has received a one-match suspension for the incident, ruling him out of Tottenham’s opening game of the season against Southampton.

Richarlison was also fined £25,000 for his actions.

An FA statement read: “An independent Regulatory Commission has suspended Richarlison de Andrade for one match and fined him £25,000 following a breach of FA Rule E3 that took place during a Premier League game on Sunday 1 May 2022.

“The Tottenham Hotspur FC forward admitted that his conduct while playing for Everton FC during the 46th minute of this game against Chelsea FC was improper, and his sanction was imposed during a subsequent hearing.”

It begs the question whether the FA could have come to a speedier conclusion, rather than proceedings taking two months, for an incident which appeared pretty much cut and dried, and whether Richarlison’s suspension could have been implemented in the last few games of the season – which would have been a hige blow for Lampard’s side at the time.

Whether that would have made any difference whatsoever to Burnley’s plight remains to be seen – ultimately, the Clarets lost three of their last four games and were relegated on the final day.

But after the penalty incident that probably cost them a point at Spurs, and the subsequent decision not to award the Clarets a spot kick at Aston Villa, it adds fuel to the flames of Burnley fans’ discontent at the FA, which they aired long and loud over the last couple of games of the season.