A Chelsea player has been sent off after appearing to kick a ball boy during the team’s match against Swansea City.
Midfielder Eden Hazard apparently became annoyed when the boy failed to return the ball promptly after it went out of play with 10 minutes left of the Capital One Cup semi-final.
The Blues forward tried to kick it from under him but instead he appeared to make contact with the youngster, leaving him writhing in pain and clutching his ribs.
After a delay of several minutes, when several Chelsea players went to tend to the boy, the Belgian was shown a red card by referee Chris Foy.
His team-mates reacted angrily, believing he had tried to get the ball loose to re-start play as Chelsea failed to make any inroads on Swansea’s 2-0 advantage from the first leg.
Swansea captain Ashley Williams was quick to condemn Hazard’s behaviour.
“(Chelsea striker) Demba Ba told me that the boy held onto it,” he told Sky Sports after the final whistle.
“I saw him (Hazard) kick him in the ribs, and you can’t do that.”
South Wales Police have confirmed they are investigating after a complaint about the clash.
Chief Superintendent Josh Jones said: “South Wales Police is aware of the incident involving a ball boy at the Liberty Stadium in Swansea tonight. We are making arrangements for him to be interviewed. South Wales Police takes such matters very seriously.”
Swansea manager Michael Laudrup said he expected Hazard would regret the incident when he views it on television.
“I saw it from a very big distance from the bench,” he said.
“I’ve since seen it after the game. Hazard is a great player. When he sees the images I think he will regret it.”
Laudrup denied the club had given the ball boys instructions to hold onto the ball when it went out of play.
Hazard’s actions were also widely criticised by football fans but the person behind Chelsea’s official Twitter account appeared to disagree with the sending off.
“Has football gone mad? Hazard is sent off for kicking the ball under a ball boy attempting to smother the ball rather than return it. #CFC”, was tweeted minutes after the decision.
The team’s manager Rafa Benitez said Hazard and the ball boy had exchanged apologies in the dressing room after the match.
“They both talked. The boy knows he was wasting time. Hazard was frustrated and trying to get the ball back.
“We can not change the situation. We are disappointed because we lost a player.
“The best thing for us is to move forward.”
The match ended 0-0, sending Swansea into their first major final, where they will meet Bradford City at Wembley.
