Revealed: Chelsea's bizarre claims in failed bid to have Reece James red-card ban overturned with captain set to miss start of 2024-25 season

In their penultimate match of the 2023/24 Premier League season, Chelsea saw their captain sent off for a reckless kickout at Brighton's Joao Pedro. The straight red card was his second of the season, which automatically brought about a four-match ban. The suspension was appealed by Chelsea who made a bizarre claim of innocence in defence of the 24-year-old.

As per an exclusive report by the Daily Mail, Chelsea claimed that James was "disoriented" after being fouled from behind, and Pedro "made contact" first as he sprinted past their captain, adding that "it had not been his intention to harm Mr Pedro, he was simply pushing him away with his foot." The FA dismissed the appeal because they did not find the defender's story to be "persuasive." They also rejected the idea that the defender was disoriented when he caught the Brazilian slightly below the knee, calling the action "unnecessary" and dismissing the idea that he was merely "pushing" Pedro away.

Having already missed Chelsea's final clash of the season against Bournemouth, James will now miss the first three games for Chelsea under new manager Enzo Maresca. The Blues announced the signing of the Leicester City manager on Monday after having parted ways with Mauricio Pochettino.

The 24-year-old has been plagued by injuries during his career. He played only 10 games for Pochettino lats season and subsequently missed out on a spot in Gareth Southgate's Euro 2024 squad for this summer.