The Football Association (FA) have fined both Chelsea and Nottingham Forest for their on-pitch roar in a Premier League match at Stamford Bridge earlier this month, Afrosport reports.
The two Premier League clubs accepted a charge from the FA, resulting in a £40,000 fone for Chelsea, while Forest were hit with a £125,000 fine as both teams failed to control their respective players during the game that ended in a 1-1 draw on October 6.
The Blues were initially fined £50,000 and Forest £150,000, but both were subsequently reduced as they admitted the charge.
The incident, which happened towards the end of the tightly-contested match, began when Forest full-back Neco Williams pushed Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella into Blues manager Enzo Maresca, before erupting into a full blown scuffle.
An independent regulatory commission confirmed that both clubs accepted their part in the incident and admitted guilt but added that the punishment had to reflect that it was still a “serious incident involving a large number of players from both sides”.
The commission pointed out that Forest’s inability to keep their players in check in recent times and “lack of contrition” were taken into cognisance, saying that it saw no evidence the club is “addressing what is now becoming a serial problem”.
The Garibaldis were handed a larger fine due to their recent record, which has seen them involved in six of such incidents in the last three years, while Chelsea’s, was their third in five seasons.
A 57th minute strike from Noni Madueke cancelled out Chirs Wood’s 49th minute opener for Forest, who ended the game with 10 men following the sending off of English midfielder James Ward-Prowse.
