Chelsea’s Diego Costa given three-match ban

Diego Costa has been handed a three-match suspension after being found guilty of a Football Association (FA) charge of violent conduct. This is related to an incident involving the striker during Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Arsenal at Stamford Bridge last weekend. Although the incident - in which Costa appeared to put his hands in the face of Gunners defendant Laurent Koscielny - was not seen by match referee Mike Dean, it later became the subject of a retrospective investigation. "An FA charge against Diego Costa for violent conduct not seen by the match officials but caught on video has been found proven following an Independent Regulatory Commission hearing,” said a statement by the FA. "The Chelsea forward will, therefore, serve the standard penalty of a three-match suspension with immediate effect." In a statement released by the club, Chelsea said they were "extremely disappointed" and "would await the written reasons before commenting further." The Spain international will now miss this week’s League Cup match against Walsall, along with Premier League games against Newcastle and Southampton. In related news, Arsenal defender Gabriel won an appeal against his red card for confronting Costa after the initial incident. However, the Brazilian is subject to a separate FA charge of improper conduct relating to him failing to leave the pitch immediately after being sent off.