FA charges Costa, Gabriel, Chelsea, and Arsenal, issue warning to Cazorla

Most expected some fallout following the Diego Costa incident fun just prior to half time, and on Monday, the FA has decided to hand out charges to both Diego Costa and Gabriel, as well as both Arsenal and Chelsea. In addition, they've issued a warning to Santi Cazorla, and issued the following statement:

Diego Costa has been charged for an alleged act of violent conduct which was not seen by the match officials but caught on video. The Chelsea forward was involved in an incident with Arsenal’s Laurent Koscielny in the 43rd minute of the game. He has until 6pm tomorrow [Tuesday 22 September 2015] to reply.

Off the ball incidents which are not seen at the time by the match officials are referred to a panel of three former elite referees. Each referee panel member will review the video footage independently of one another to determine whether they consider it a sending-off offence. For retrospective action to be taken, and an FA charge to follow, the decision by the panel must be unanimous.

Arsenal defender Gabriel has been charged with improper conduct for his behaviour following his dismissal, whilst team-mate Santi Cazorla has been warned for his behaviour following his sending off.

Finally, both clubs have been charged for failing to control their players under FA Rule E20.

Both clubs and Gabriel have until 6pm on Thursday [24 September 2015] to reply.

The charge to Costa is a potential problem for Chelsea, as that charge would see him banned for Chelsea's next three domestic matches. The player will almost certainly contest the charge, as he did last season following the incidents against Liverpool. With any luck, we'll hear the FA's verdict before our encounter against Walsall, which Costa seems unlikely to feature in anyway.

The charges against the clubs will likely result in a nominal fine, something neither side should have any problem paying. Gabriel's additional charge might be an issue for Arsenal, but it's probably not anything for Chelsea fans to care about, anyway.

Fun times.