Chelsea to appeal against Uefa bans

Chelsea paid the price for the indiscipline of their players after the disappointment of losing to Barcelona in the final seconds of their Champions League semi-final last season, when Didier Drogba received a six-game ban and Jose Bosingwa a four-game suspension from the 2009-10 Champions League.

Drogba was punished for confronting Norwegian referee Tom Henning Ovrebo after the game and verbally abusing him, and had two of the games of his ban deferred, while Bosingwa's crime was to call Ovrebo a "thief" in an interview after the game, a comment which he subsequently retracted.

Uefa's ban will see Drogba miss four out of the six group stage games, while Bosingwa, who had one game deferred, will miss half of the group games. Chelsea are believed to be considering an appeal against the harshness of the punishments, which could also throw the potential transfers of both players into question.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
Dominic Fifield, the Guardian: "Drogba indicated after last month's FA Cup final that he would accept any punishment handed down by Uefa, although Chelsea appear minded to appeal. The club is due to receive written explanation for the sanctions this morning and will scrutinise the findings. Chelsea's defence to the charges, submitted in writing to the committee, had been based around Ovrebo's controversial display - four plausible penalty appeals were waved away before Barcelona won the tie in stoppage time - and the fact that both players apologised for their conduct. The club had hoped that greater leniency would be shown given the inflammatory nature of some of the Norwegian referee's decisions."

Gary Jacob, the Times: "Drogba’s absence will be felt more keenly than that of Bosingwa, especially because he will also be away for a month when he plays for Ivory Coast in the African Cup of Nations in January, and is likely to increase speculation about his future at Chelsea, who have offered him a three-year extension to his contract, which expires at the end of next season."

Matt Lawton, Daily Mail: "In addition to the suspensions, UEFA’s control and disciplinary body concluded after meeting at their Swiss headquarters in Nyon yesterday that Chelsea should be fined ‘for the improper conduct of their players and the throwing of missiles by their supporters’. Chelsea will speak to Drogba and Bosingwa before deciding whether to appeal, while Stamford Bridge officials will also reflect on the size of the fine. UEFA have demonstrated alarming inconsistencies over the years, having fined the Croatian federation just £10,000 after their fans racially abused opponents Turkey during a game at Euro 2008." ·