Reece James: Why Chelsea Star Will Miss Four Games After His Red Card Against Brighton

• Reece James was shown a straight red card during Chelsea's EPL game against Brighton
• The Chelsea captain kicked out at Joao Pedro, with the centre referee initially missing it
• Sports Brief has analysed why he will now miss four games and not three, as is the norm

Reece James suffered a serious setback in his pursuit to be considered fit and ready for selection by Gareth Southgate for England's squad for Euro 2024.

He only lasted 20 minutes of Chelsea's game away to Brighton and Hove Albion on May 15 after he was shown a straight red card for violent conduct.

Reece James' red card vs Brighton

The Chelsea captain was fouled by Joao Pedro and had been given the free kick near the dugout area, but it was his response that landed him in trouble.

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James reacted by kicking out at Pedro. The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) asked referee, Michael Salisbury, to review the incident, after which he sent off the England international.

Mauricio Pochettino's side were leading 2-0 at the time thanks to goals from Cole Palmer and Christopher Nkunku. Luckily, their man disadvantage didn't matter in the end as Brighton only pulled one goal back in stoppage time through Danny Welbeck.

For James, however, it was another bitter turn in an underwhelming season. As Squawka reports, the 24-year-old has only played 422 minutes this season. He has had two separate injury issues, with the latter requiring surgery that kept him out of action for the last five months.

The embattled Chelsea captain returned to action in their weekend win over Nottingham Forest, where he created the winner for Nicolas Jackson to score.

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Why Recee James will be suspended for four games

Following his red card, James will now miss the final game of the season against Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge and the first three of next season.

The FA handbook on red and yellow cards explains that a player will be banned for three games in cases of violent conduct. Should he get a second red card during the season, the ban will be increased to four games.

"For every additional red card received in the playing season, a player will receive an additional one-game suspension on top of the automatic suspension."

James' first red card of the season came on November 25 when he was sent off for two bookable offences at St. James Park. Chelsea lost that game 4-1.

Has anyone ever been suspended for four games?

Manchester United's Casemiro (last season) and Tottenham Hotspur's Yves Bissouma (this season) are some of the other players who have suffered from this rule.

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Pochettino will now have to do without his captain over the weekend as he seeks to secure a return to European football for Chelsea in his first season in charge.

The Blues only need a point against the Cherries. A win for them and a loss for Tottenham, who play Sheffield, could even see them finish in fifth place.

Reliving Lauren James' red card vs Nigeria

Sports Brief has also compared James' red card to his sister, Lauren James, who made headlines during the FIFA Women's World Cup last year after she stamped on Nigeria's Michelle Alozie.

She was shown a straight red card in the Round of 16 match and missed the quarter-final against Colombia and the semi-final against Australia, returning in England's 1-0 final defeat to Spain.