Terry unlikely to be punished for card trick
John Terry is set to escape any disciplinary action for attempting to grab referee Mike Dean’s red card – but Chelsea could be in hot water for their players’ collective response to Mikel John Obi’s sending off at Old Trafford.
The England captain tried to grab the card while protesting to Dean and there have been suggestions the Football Association could take retrospective action.
However, the onus would be on Dean to have responded by giving Terry a yellow or red card at the time and the FA are very unlikely to pursue any action against the centre-back.
Dean did though state in his match report that he was unhappy about the reaction of at least four Chelsea players who surrounded him after the sending off.
Although the incident is not detailed as a mass confrontation, the fact Dean has reported both that incident and another that took place shortly afterwards means the FA will be forced to consider disciplinary action.
If they do proceed, then Chelsea are likely to face be fined for the disorderly conduct of their players, though given the nature of the offence the fine will be towards the lower end of the scale.
The FA have refused to comment, saying they do not divulge the contents of a referee’s report.
