Essien faces UEFA action over Hamann horror tackle

CHELSEA face losing Michael Essien through suspension following UEFA's decision to charge the midfielder for his tackle on Liverpool's Dietmar Hamann on Tuesday.

The Ghana international caught Hamann just below the knee after a late lunge as the two sides fought out a goalless draw at Stamford Bridge in the final round of Champions League group fixtures.

The incident was not seen by referee Herbert Fandel and went unpunished but UEFA have decided to act after studying video evidence.

Their decision comes after FIFA president Sepp Blatter called for action to be taken after seeing replays of the incident.

A UEFA statement said: "UEFA have instigated disciplinary proceedings against Michael Essien, charging the Chelsea midfielder with gross unsporting conduct following the English club's UEFA Champions League game against Liverpool.

"The charge relates to Essien's tackle on Liverpool's Dietmar Hamann, which occurred out of the sight of both the referee and his assistants during the 0-0 Group G draw at Stamford Bridge."

Essien's fate will now be decided at a hearing on December 15.

A Chelsea statement read: "We have seen the statement from UEFA but have yet to receive official notification of the charge. There will be no further comment on this issue."

Chelsea had hoped no retrospective punishment would be administered after none was taken following another controversial incident involving Essien earlier this season.

The 23-year-old escaped disciplinary action from the Football Association for a dangerous tackle on Bolton's Tal Ben Haim because he was booked by referee Rob Styles during the game.

Styles later admitted he felt the offence was worthy of dismissal after seeing the incident again but FIFA rules do not allow upgrading of yellow cards to red on video evidence.

The Hamann case however is different because it was missed by the officials at the time and no action had therefore been taken.

"In 1994, the FIFA executive committee took a decision that the disciplinary committee can use television evidence in the case of infractions against the laws of the game that have not been identified by the referee," FIFA President Sepp Blatter said.

FIFA communications director Markus Siegler further clarified the situation by adding: "You cannot upgrade or downgrade one card to another but you can take action if the referee has not seen an incident."

Meanwhile, Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has admitted he is defying the pain barrier in order to play.

The Ivory Coast forward has been suffering with a knee injury since returning from international duty and insists he is not fully fit.

But a rib injury to Argentina striker Hernan Crespo has forced Drogba to play on to help out coach Jose Mourinho and to make up for his absence in January when he joins his country for the African Nations Cup in Egypt.