Chelsea and West Ham fined £325,000 and £300,000 for 'mass confrontation'
BBC World
February 25, 2026
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Chelsea FC has been fined £325,000, while West Ham United was hit with a £300,000 penalty following a "mass confrontation" between players during their Premier League match at Stamford Bridge in January. The incident occurred when Chelsea forward Joao Pedro reacted to West Ham winger Adama Traore's shove on Blues defender Marc Cucurella in the 95th minute of added time. This led to both sets of players engaging in ugly scenes, which were reviewed by the video assistant referee (VAR). As a result, West Ham's Jean-Clair Todibo received a straight red card for grabbing Joao Pedro by the neck.
The Football Association found that Chelsea failed to prevent its players from behaving improperly or provocatively near the 95th minute. Similarly, West Ham was accused of failing to control its players, who were deemed to have acted in an improper and violent manner during the incident. Both clubs admitted the charges against them, which led to the financial penalties.
The independent regulatory commission overseeing the case noted that both clubs had previously breached FA Rule E20.1, which prohibits behavior that is "improper, offensive, violent, threatening, abusive, indecent, insulting or provocative." The commission emphasized that Chelsea's players contributed to the incident by inciting the crowd and engaging in improper actions despite being aware of their responsibilities on the field. West Ham's Todibo was identified as the main catalyst for the confrontation due
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Originally published on BBC World on 2/25/2026