FA will not punish Barnes after Chelsea match
The Football Association have confirmed Burnley striker Ashley Barnes will not be punished retrospectively after Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Chelsea.
Barnes was singled out by Blues boss Jose Mourinho after incidents involving Branislav Ivanovic and, in particular, Nemanja Matic - who was dismissed after his reaction to being caught in the shin by the Clarets frontman.
Barnes played a pass and, with Matic coming in from the side, caught the Serbian with his follow through - an unfortunate accident.
Matic leapt to his feet and violently shoved Barnes to the ground, with Chelsea considering an appeal.
A statement from the FA said: “In the vast majority of challenges for the ball, no retrospective action is taken as the incident has been seen by the match officials.
“Retrospective action was introduced as a deterrent for ‘off the ball incidents’ [e.g. kicks, stamps etc.] committed out of sight of officials.
“The whole game is in agreement that, in the vast majority of cases, match officials are best-placed to deal with incidents to avoid re-refereeing.
“In line with this rationale, the FA confirm no further action in relation to Ashley Barnes as the incident was seen by the officials.”