Eboue banned for three games

Arsenal right-back Emmanuel Eboue was today found guilty of violent conduct at an English FA hearing and has been suspended for…

Arsenal right-back Emmanuel Eboue was today found guilty of violent conduct at an English FA hearing and has been suspended for three matches.

The 23-year-old had denied a charge of striking Chelsea left-back Wayne Bridge during Sunday's Carling Cup final.

Eboue will now miss Premiership games against Reading on Saturday, at Aston Villa on March 14th and at Everton four days later.

He is the latest player to be suspended over the stoppage-time brawl that tarnished last weekend's Millennium Stadium showpiece.

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Referee Howard Webb missed the specific incident involving Eboue and Bridge but the FA used video and documentary evidence to charge and sanction the Gunners player retrospectively.

He joins team-mates Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor in serving a three-match ban for their part in Sunday's melee.

They and Chelsea midfielder Mikel John Obi were all shown red cards during the game.

On Tuesday, the FA rejected the appeals of Adebayor and Mikel for wrongful dismissal.

Togo striker Adebayor has also been charged with improper conduct for reacting aggressively to his sending off and failing to leave the field of play.

He has denied that charge yesterday and will have his case heard by a disciplinary commission on Tuesday.

Both Arsenal and Chelsea have also been charged with failing to ensure their players and/or officials conducted themselves in an orderly fashion and/or refraining from provocative and/or violent behaviour.

Earlier today, the FA asked Gunners boss Arsene Wenger to explain comments he made following last night's FA Cup fifth-round replay at Blackburn.

Wenger dubbed the assistant referee who advised Webb prior to Adebayor's dismissal a "liar", alleging the official claimed in his report that the striker had punched Chelsea's Frank Lampard.