Reece James will serve a four-match ban following his red card in the 2-1 win at Brighton on Wednesday, meaning the Chelsea captain will miss the first three games of next season.
His suspension also represents a setback for his hopes of a Euro 2024 call-up as he will have to prove his fitness to Gareth Southgate before the England manager announces his squad for the tournament next week.
James had hoped to secure a place in the England squad after his return from a five-month layoff due to a thigh injury.
However, he was sent off for kicking Brighton striker Joao Pedro in an off-the-ball incident, just 17 minutes after coming on as a substitute in Wednesday night’s 2-1 win at the Amex.
After being sent off once this season in Newcastle in November, his ban was extended to three matches.
James will miss Chelsea’s final game of the season on Sunday at home to Bournemouth, where the team needs a point to qualify for the European Championships.
He will also miss the first three games of next season, marking another setback for the right-back as he tries to get his career back on track after a few injury-plagued years.
James has only started five times and played eleven times for Chelsea this season after his recovery from surgery on his right thigh took longer than expected.
Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino said his red card was a “painful” blow.
Pochettino said: “It’s difficult to give my opinion because I didn’t have time to watch the game. But it’s painful (for us) because it’s a fantastic night of football and he’s a really important player.”
“Now he will miss the next game and some games next season.”
