Chelsea have lodged an appeal against disciplinary action handed out by UEFA.That’s not much of a surprise given the Blues’ utter disappointment at losing the Champions League semi-final to Barcelona in such controversial circumstances.The knock-out still hurts and though the outcome can never be reversed, Chelsea intend to make a point, regardless of whether they really feel the UEAF punishment has been pegged at a fair level or not.

Most football supporters will, however, be saying shut up and put up. Didier Drogba has been given a six match ban, with the last two suspended for two years for his rant at the referee at the close of the semi-final. Team-mate Jose Bosingwa has to endure a four match ban, one of which has been suspended.The target for both of them was match referee Tom Henning Ovrebro whom they felt robbed Chelsea of several clear-cut penalty chances and a chance in the final against Manchester United. Barcelona, as we all know, went on to win the silverware.

In addition to the match bans, Chelsea have been fined 85,000 pounds for the improper conduct of its players.It’s difficult to predict on what grounds Chelsea will lodge their appeal. Drogba certainly had the grace to apologise in the wake of the match and much comment about the fact that thousands of children would have been watching. Such behaviour at any level of football is totally unacceptable and punishment has to fit the crime.

A six match ban for Didier Drogba seems to have been pegged at exactly the right level, especially with two having been suspended for two years. And it would be difficult for Bosingwa to argue against his penalty, given the offensive word he directed at the referee.

It could have been much worse and much tougher. And, let’s face it, an 85,000 pound fine for Chelsea is just a drop in the ocean. The players or the team could easily have been banned from the tournament. Perhaps those who criticise the decision might like to inject a bit of realism into their case, not least captain John Terry.

Though you would expect him to speak up for his club and colleagues, continuing to blame the referee for his performance is not an acceptable stance. He believes all the fuss over Drogba and Bosingwa only served to direct attention away from Ovrebro.Yes, he says, kids were watching the game but Drogba at least apologised. That’s like carrying out any unacceptable act and then saying sorry afterwards. Just don’t do it in the first place should be the message.Terry believes Drogba’s six match ban is too harsh and suggests it should be two. Hardly. Players incur a one match ban simply for getting two yellow cards or a straight red. Surely there can be no comparison.

The best thing the players could do, and Chelsea as a club, is to drop the appeal and save the time, money and controversy. Put it down to a bad job and get on with the game of football. Referees do have bad games and make bad decisions which change the cause of matches and tournaments. But players have bad games and make bad decisions too. There’s no point throwing your dummy out of the pram when things don’t go your way. That’s life and that’s football.

The bad news over European suspensions for two of Chelsea’s best players has gotten worse today with reports that defender, Jose Bosingwa, could be on his way out of the club. The Portuguese defender was one of these two players and reports are suggesting that Bayern Munich is close to securing his services.

It could be a sly hint that Chelsea are trying to push a player into the deal for winger, Franck Ribery, but the inclusion of Bosingwa in any player exchange is unclear. Bosingwa did have a pretty amazing first season in the Premier League and was noted for his attacking play in getting past the midfield and his fitness in being able to track back and defend.

The Munich chairman said: “We are holding talks, but we still need the approval of Chelsea. He is one of the best right full backs around.”

The move does appear to be exempt from any other negotiations that are going on but if Chelsea do want to sign Ribery from Bayern then they would do well to get Bosingwa included in the deal as a means of capital. It has been well documented that Munich want a large sum of money for the Frenchman and Bosingwa could justify up to half of the £50 million that the German side are asking for their best player.

However, Carlo Ancelotti only has limited cover at right back in the likes of Paulo Ferreira and Juliano Belletti. Therefore he would probably be reluctant to let one of his best players go unless it is in a deal for a player that the West London club have been tracking for a long time.

It would be a fantastic signing for Munich if they manage to get him because Bosingwa is already multi-lingual and he does not seem to have any problems in being able to adapt to an alien structure or environment. The German league is the best supported league in the world so if he was offered a pretty good deal to join Munich then not many people would blame him if he took it.

It is also the sort of signing that Munich are going to need if they are to move forward domestically and on the European front. Last season they were absolutely ripped apart by Barcelona in one match and the need for a more solid defence was made quite clear on that specific occasion.

Bosingwa cost Chelsea the relatively small sum of £16 million in the current financial climate of football and his value probably would have doubled within the last season as he played very well. It is difficult to see a deal being done unless it is a lever for Ribery to go the other way. This would make it a fairly good deal on both parts but Chelsea need to make up their minds quickly otherwise they may miss out on the Frenchman and a good deal of cash. He would be extremely hard to replace, which may be the one thing that prevents Chelsea from going through with any deal.

Chelsea will appeal over the European bans to players, Didier Drogba and Jose Bosingwa. Drogba received a four match ban and Bosingwa is also banned for three matches following the antics of the pair, which marked their semi-final loss to Barcelona in the Champions League last season.

Drogba was seen shouting at television cameras after referee, Tom Henning Ovrebo, turned down a number of good penalty shouts that he had during the match. Barca went on to score with what turned out to be the last kick of the match and Bosingwa also faced scrutiny because of his refusal to leave the referee alone or let him off the pitch before he had a chance to speak to him.

Chelsea have also been fined £85,000 for not being able to control players and although this may seem like pocket money to such a big club it will hurt them because they pride themselves on discipline and efficiency. A Chelsea spokesman said: “We’ve received the UEFA verdict and we’ll now take time to assess it in full and consider our response.”

Carlo Ancelotti will probably be relieved that the matter is over and he now knows who he will be able to start his European campaign with next season. There will still be a lot of injustice felt on the part of Chelsea’s players, which could be the main reason that propels them on to success and the over lying factor that maintaisn their discipline all the way through the season.

The club could appeal over all of the decisions, which they feel are harsh. The match bans are as long, or longer, than the ban you would receive for effectively going into a challenge and breaking the leg of an opposition player. However, UEFA maintain that one of the main principles that they base guidelines on is the respect that is shown between follow players, opposition and the match officials.

On this occasion there clearly was a breach in terms of respect shown towards the referee and that is the reason that the punishment handed out is relatively harsh. It means that Chelsea will be missing two of their best players for the start of the Champions League campaign. These games can often throw up some tricky group situations so Chelsea will be annoyed that they are missing players for these matches.

The problem for Chelsea is that should they appeal they will need to bring something new to the table, something strong enough to be able to eradicate the TV pictures of Drogba going off on a rant. This could be very tricky to do and it could mean that UEFA could increase the bans on the grounds that Chelsea have been wasting their time in the appeal process.

This may sound harsh but it is just the way the system works and if Chelsea want to get the bans over turned then it will be something they have to deal with. Ancelotti has to way up how important these two players are to his side and then decide whether or not to launch a campaign to get them freed from suspension.

Innocent until proven guilty may be the old adage but it will be interesting to see how Didier Drogba and Jose Bosingwa defend themselves against UEFA action.

Both have now been charged by the governing body after Chelsea lost their Champions League semi-final to Barcelona.

The disciplinary action claims they insulted the referee and made offensive comments. Chelsea have also been charged with the improper conduct of their players and failing to control supporters who were allegedly involved in missile throwing.

Drogba and Bosingwa were both caught on camera venting their frustration as the final whistle blew on the second leg of the semi-final at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea had gone out to a late strike by Andres Iniesta to make it 1-1 and giving Barcelona the edge with their away goal.

The angry scenes were watched by millions of viewers throughout the world as Norwegian referee Tom Henning Ovrebo became the target after not granting Chelsea a penalty in a number of calls.

What defence can Drogba and Bosingwa possible put forward? Mitigation, yes, but it’s unlikely that either will get away without a very stiff fine or even worse.

What rankles many is why the team itself has to carry the can. Is it really possible for any football manager or the board to control the tempers of their players, especially if it is a first-time incident? Yes, they can give lectures and warnings and hit home the severe repercussions of not behaving but it’s just not possible to put players in straight jackets.

Players should carry the can for their behaviour, on or off the pitch, but leave the club alone. In the same theme, how on earth can a team be responsible for the behaviour of fans? Did they ask them to get involved or to throw missiles at the referee? Do the authorities really expect every club to be accountable for every fan?

On the whole, football supporters are a pretty decent lot but you are always going to get the bad egg whose temper boils over. It’s those fans who should be pinpointed and dealt with very severely. Ban them for life but don’t punish the club.

Meantime, Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas has been cleared by the FA following allegations about his conduct after the Hull FA Cup tie.
It was claimed that he spat at Hull assistant Brian Horton. An independent commission found there was not enough evidence of improper conduct.

Didier Drogba and Jose Bosingwa are to be charged by UEFA for the post-match antics in the Champions League semi-final defeat against Barcelona. Drogba was seen leaping off of the Chelsea bench before swearing directly into television cameras and hurling a volley of verbal abuse at referee, Tom Henning Ovrebo.

Bosingwa has also been found guilty of misconduct charges although his efforts were a lot less sensational than Drogba’s. Proceedings have also started against Chelsea as in the same match a number of the club’s supporters were throwing missiles onto the pitch after a last minute winner for Barcelona broke Chelsea hearts.

Manager, Guus Hiddink, and the club as a whole will now want the matter swiftly dealt with so they can focus their energy on the one remaining Premier League game they must play ahead of the FA Cup final at the end of the month. In this respect the news will be met positively but it carries with it both shame and embarrassment.

The club have been given until the day before the FA Cup final to respond and the matter will be finalised during June. It comes after a season of failures for Chelsea. First of all they sacked manager, Phil Scolari, and the Champions League defeat came at the end of a faltering league campaign, which once again saw them way off the pace of eventual champions, Manchester United.

Such incidents are neither welcomed nor needed in a game that constantly attracts attention for the way match officials are treated. The scenes at Chelsea would not have looked out of place on a pitch in a Sunday league somewhere, when referees have to be on their guard at all times as they do not have the benefit of police escorts off the pitch.

It was expected that eventually charges would be brought against Chelsea but the timing of the news has not helped their preparations for the one shot they have of winning something this year. It is unlikely to hinder their chance of winning the FA Cup but the point is that the charges should never have even been contemplation.

If Chelsea were unhappy with the way the game had been refereed against Barcelona then they should have kept quiet after the game and swallowed a bit of pride, then promptly filed a complaint against the referee that UEFA would have been obliged to look at. They did themselves no assistance whatsoever for allowing their players to surround the referee after the final whistle, when the decisions that had been made during the game were at that point unchangeable.

Hopefully this show of discipline on the part of UEFA will be a deterrent to any future possibilities of this kind. At the moment the outcome of the hearings is unknown but UEFA should be harsh and firm and impose punishment on Chelsea that will ensure the club are sorry for what they did and do not just end up with a fine that they could pay every day for about 50 years.

Tonight Chelsea face an absolutely massive task in Spain that could see their European ambitions completely destroyed.

Guus Hiddink’s men face up to the favourites for this years competition in what promises to be a mouth-watering occasion. It will take a tremendous amount of team spirit, combined with quality and skill to get the two time Premier League champions through this tie.

The loss of Ashley Cole will mean Jose Bosingwa steps in at left back to try and counter the attacking influence of arguably the best player in the world, Lionel Messi. Otherwise, Chelsea look fully equipped to pack out the midfield and give Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka the best possible chance of scoring an away goal to take back to Stamford Bridge.

Both sides are packed with talent so it is difficult to work out where tonight’s game will be won. Chelsea have only beaten Barca on four occasions, as opposed to the Spanish side’s five victories.

Chelsea will be looking to dominate the midfield battles. The likes of Frank Lampard, Michael Essien and Michael Ballack must all dominate Iniesta and Xavi. The Spanish side will clearly look to play a quick passing game to breach the Chelsea defence.

The recent form of Chelsea goalkeeper, Petr Cech, has come under increased scrutiny and as Barcelona will be looking to kill the tie in the first leg, the Czech international will have to be on top of his game.

The basis of Chelsea’s success under Jose Mourinho was Cech leading from the back, allowing the defence the time and movement to deal with attacking problems easily. If Barcelona look to exploit Cech then it could be one of the very few weak points in the West London side’s armour.

Leadership will also be vital. John Terry will still be hurting from the final defeat to Manchester United last season. Terry will need to pull out a big performance to martial his side through their most important game of this year’s campaign. Terry will also be paramount to stemming Barcelona’s attacking influence.

Hiddink will no doubt want to get one over on the club he faced during his time at Real Madrid. It is likely he is to be very shrewd with his tactics and considering the talent Barca will have on display, this is no surprise.

He has to deploy a clever system in order to impose his Chelsea side on the game. Sitting back and consolidating will knock work as it allows Barca to build up pressure and eventually pick off a goal or two.

As for Barcelona, the defence of the Spanish side has come under recent criticism especially the keeper, Victor Valdes, and captain, Carlos Puyol. Both of these players have been going through rough patches, but are likely to play as they are two of the most experienced players in the Spanish side.

The attacking combination that Barcelona go with is unknown, it could be Henry and Messi or it could be Messi and Eto’o, but the one thing that is guaranteed is that whoever plays, they are likey to give Chelsea a few headaches.

Chelsea will get through this one with vocal support from the fans and with a massive team performance. They have to keep Barcelona’s influences quiet, while at the same time imposing themselves on the game. If all of this unfolds then there is no reason why they can’t go back to the Bridge with a one or two goal advantage.