The Daily Observer London Desk: Reporter- Judith Benjamin
Raheem Sterling has reportedly been told that he will face no further action from the FA after appearing to throw a missile back into the crowd during Chelsea’s 4-1 victory against Tottenham on Monday evening.
But after reviewing the footage, as per the Evening Standard, the FA are thought not to be bringing charges against the forward over the alleged incident.
The moment of contention occurred seconds after Cole Palmer had brought the Blues level from the penalty spot in the first half following Cristian Romero’s red card for an ugly lunge on Enzo Fernandez.
Palmer celebrated by putting his finger to his lips in front of the Spurs fans, and was congratulated by several of his team-mates, including Sterling.
Raheem Sterling is not thought to be being charged by the FA over allegedly throwing a missile
The forward appeared to lob a missile thrown at team-mate Cole Palmer and the Chelsea players celebrating their opening goal
A video from pitchside shows an object, launched from the home end at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, striking Palmer on the leg.
As the players break away to make their way back for the restart, Sterling appears to bend down and throw the item back into the crowd before running back to his own half.
Sterling might have been momentarily concerned had the organisation found him guilty of the alleged offense, with a number of bans handed out previously to Premier League stars responding to thrown objects from the crowd.
Richarlison was banned by the FA for throwing a lit flare back into the crowd after scoring for Everton against Chelsea in May 2022, with his one-match suspension delaying his later debut for Tottenham.
Chelsea icon Didier Drogba was handed a three-match ban in 2008 for throwing a coin at Burnley fans during their Carabao Cup defeat on penalties.
And former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher was also handed a three-match ban – and given a formal police warning – after hurling a £1 coin at Arsenal fans in an FA Cup clash at Highbury in 2002.
Chelsea ended up waltzing away with the tie after Tottenham went down to nine men at home
Sterling’s manager Mauricio Pochettino will be delighted to retain the services of the forward, who has been one of the standouts for the Blues in a peppy yet inconsistent season.
But one coach less convinced by the form of the ex-Manchester City man is England boss Gareth Southgate – who yet again passed over selecting the former squad stalwart for the next spate of international ties.
Speaking after the announcement of his roster for games against Malta and North Macedonia, Southgate dismissed speculation that a rift was to blame for Sterling’s absence, instead highlighting the quality of his options.
‘The door is 100 per cent open not only for Raheem but also other players who aren’t in this squad,’ Southgate said. ‘We don’t need to know about his quality, his personality. He is a crucial part of the journey we’ve been on.’
