‘Very Serious’—Chelsea Handed Huge Fine for Ugly Incident in Premier League Defeat

New manager Liam Rosenior fired a warning to his squad over a perceived lack of discipline.

Chelsea admitted a serious charge of misconduct. | Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images

Chelsea have been hit with a significant fine after admitting a member of the club’s technical staff threw a water bottle towards the Aston Villa bench in last month’s defeat.

In what was the penultimate match of Enzo Maresca’s time as manager, the Blues suffered a second-half collapse as two goals from Ollie Watkins sealed a 2–1 comeback victory for the high-flying Villans.

After the final whistle, it was alleged that a water bottle had been thrown towards the Villa bench from somebody in the Chelsea staff. Footage of the incident was presented to the Blues after they were charged.

Chelsea have since accepted the charge, although the identity of the thrower of the bottle was not determined. Given Maresca’s subsequent departure, the guilty party may well have left the club as well.

A fine of £150,000 ($203,000) has been issued for what the commission described as a “very serious incident.”

“The video footage shows the bottle coming out of the CFC dugout and travelling at speed (indicating its weight) into the AVFC technical area,” the report reads.

“The bottle passes very close to the head of an AVFC substitute and lands in the AVFC technical area. The act was dangerous and could have easily provoked a reaction from the AVFC staff—it was only luck that it did not strike someone.”

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Liam Rosenior Takes Stance on Alleged Lack of Discipline

Liam Rosenior is hoping to avoid any issues. | Vince Mignott/DeFodi Images/Getty Images

The BlueCo-led rebuild of the Chelsea squad into a more youth-focused outfit has prompted countless allegations of ill-discipline from the players which persist to this day. Those concerns even contributed to the severity of their latest fine.

New boss Liam Rosenior, himself comparatively inexperienced, has faced plenty of questions about Chelsea’s attitude during his short time in the dugout. He recently admitted he has never fined a player for ill-discipline and insisted he has seen nothing from the Blues to suggest he may have to.

“You can motivate your players in many different ways,” he said. “Every manager has a different way.

“I try to focus on if your discipline is good and your habits are good, that helps the team win. In my last clubs, I didn’t fine anyone ever because the discipline in the team was really, really good and the habits in the squad, so you have good values.

“So far, and I can only speak on my time so far, the players have been magnificent in my time with them and that’s what I’ll focus on.”

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