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Arsenal and Chelsea to appeal Cup final cards

Arsenal and Chelsea have lodged appeals against the red cards handed out to Emmanuel Adebayor and John Obi Mikel during Sunday's League Cup final, the Football Association (FA) confirmed on Monday.

Both players were dismissed for violent conduct during the injury-time fracas at the Millennium Stadium in which Gunners defender Kolo Toure was also dismissed. Toure has not appealed and will serve out a three-match ban.

There were claims after the game, which Chelsea won 2-1, that Adebayor was the victim of mistaken identity, with referee Howard Webb picking the wrong man after Emmanuel Eboue was apparently seen punching Wayne Bridge.

Eboue could face punishment if Webb's official match report claims he missed the incident or admits to sending off the wrong player.

Even if his dismissal is overturned, Adebayor could still face an investigation over his initial refusal to leave the pitch after receiving his marching orders.

The appeals were to be held yesterday meaning a decision will come ahead of Arsenal's FA Cup fourth-round replay at Blackburn.

The mass brawl saw as many players dismissed in one minute as in all the 46 previous finals altogether.

"I am disappointed with the brawl because I do not think it reflected the quality of the game," said Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, who ran onto the pitch with Chelsea counterpart Jose Mourinho to try and calm the situation.

"A few punches were exchanged, not only from our side, but I regret the fact we lost our nerve when we should have just taken the free-kick and got on with the game," he said.
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