Del Horno to face one match ban

Koen Freriks

27 februari 2006, 21:20

Chelsea defender Asier Del Horno will now only face a one game ban following his red card against Spanish giants Barcelona.

The Spaniard was given his marching orders for smashing into Barcelona winger Lionel Messi. This was the latest of decisions to increase the rivalry between the two champions of England and Spain. The Blues lost 2-1 to Barca on the night, which outraged Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho.

Del Horno will now only miss the Blues second leg against Barcelona at Camp Nou, and will be available for the quarterfinals if Chelsea succeed in beating the Spaniards.

Referee Terje Hauge had judged that the challenge was worthy of a red card; however after close research, UEFA have now cut the punishment. "Following the sending-off of Asier Del Horno against Barcelona, Chelsea FC were asked for our observations on the incident as part of the standard UEFA disciplinary procedure," said a statement that was released.

"In that submission we made a case that the offence of violent conduct was unjustified and that an automatic three match ban as a result would similarly be unjust. There was no appeal against the dismissal itself as the UEFA disciplinary procedures only allow for a retrospective decision on the basis of mistaken identity, or if there was no contact between the two players," the statement continued.

"After our submission, UEFA analysed video footage of the incident and made the decision that the offence did not constitute violent conduct. It was decided that a three-match ban was not applicable. Although Chelsea is still disappointed to lose Asier for the next match in Barcelona, we are pleased that UEFA considered and accepted our submission positively," explained a UEFA chief.