Essien escapes FA disciplinary action

Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien has escaped disciplinary action from the Football Association over an ugly and controversial tackle on Tal Ben Haim of Bolton Wanderers in Saturday's Premier League match at Stamford Bridge.

Essien was booked by referee Rob Styles, who later told the FA after reviewing the incident on video that he would have sent Essien off if he had seen the tackle from a better angle.

The FA said on Tuesday that after concerns expressed by world soccer's governing body FIFA following an incident involving Jermaine Jenas earlier this season, they had sought clarification whether any additional disciplinary action could be taken.

A statement on the FA website said: "Given that the referee had seen the incident involving Essien and decided to show a yellow card, FIFA made it clear to the FA that in such cases the referee's decision is final and cannot be changed retrospectively."

Essien's tackle upset Bolton manager Sam Allardyce, who argued the incident had a major effect on the game which Chelsea won 5-1 after trailing 1-0.

In August, Jenas, then with Newcastle United but now with Tottenham Hotspur, had a sending-off quashed after the FA reviewed a video of a tackle which had earnt immediate dismissal.

Referee Steve Bennett had asked for the red card to be downgraded to yellow and the FA agreed.