Chelsea’s Pedro Neto slapped with fresh ban - but not for pushing PSG ball boy

Pedro Neto has been slapped with a further one-match ban and a £70,000 fine after accepting a charge of misconduct in relation to his sending off against Arsenal earlier this month.

Neto received two yellow cards in the space of three minutes against the Gunners in Chelsea’s 2-1 loss on 1 March - shown the first for dissent after Arsenal’s opener, before seeing a second for a foul on Gabriel Martinelli in the 70th minute.

The FA said in a statement: "It was alleged that the player acted in an improper manner by failing to leave the pitch promptly and/or using abusive words towards the match official/s following his dismissal in the 70th minute.

"Pedro Neto subsequently admitted the charge against him. An independent Regulatory Commission imposed these sanctions following a hearing, and the written reasons for its decisions will be published in due course."

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Neto has already served the one-match ban that resulted from the dismissal, missing Chelsea’s 4-1 at Aston Villa, but will now be forced to sit out of Saturday’s visit of Newcastle.

It comes in a week of indiscipline for Neto, who sparked a brawl during Chelsea’s 5-2 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in their Champions League last-16 first-leg after shoving a ball boy .

Neto pushed the ball boy off his chair in the closing stages of Chelsea’s 5-2 defeat in the first leg of their last-16 tie at Parc des Princes, as he tried to retrieve the ball, sparking a melee between players from both sides.

The Portuguese apologised both on and off camera and gave the ball boy his shirt, but Uefa has nevertheless confirmed it is investigating Neto for “unsporting behaviour” and that its “disciplinary bodies will take a decision on this case in due course”, which could result in another ban.

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Blues manager Liam Rosenior , who demanded for an improvement in discipline following Neto’s red against Arsenal, hailed how the player took responsibility for his actions in Paris but couldn’t deny that the optics were bad.

“I've watched it back and it doesn't look good,” he said ahead of Saturday’s visit of Newcastle. “I understand Pedro's perspective and his want to win, but there are ways you go about it.

"I was so impressed that he wanted to apologise straight away. We all make mistakes, it's about learning from them and making sure they don't happen again."