Ashley Barnes won’t face action over challenge on Nemanja Matic

Burnley’s Ashley Barnes will face no disciplinary action for his challenge on Nemanja Matic, the Football Association has confirmed.

Barnes put in a fierce tackle on the Blues midfielder during Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge.

Having gone to ground, the Serbian ran towards Barnes and bundled him to the ground, earning a red card from referee Martin Atkinson.

Chelsea are reportedly set to appeal against Matic’s three-game ban, but manager Jose Mourinho had also suggested action should be taken against Barnes, who was not even cautioned.

But the FA revealed — via Twitter — it would not be punishing the Clarets forward, since the referee had seen the incident and chose to take no action.

“In the vast majority of challenges for the ball, no retrospective action is taken as the incident has been seen by the match officials. Retrospective action introduced as deterrent for ’off the ball incidents’ (e.g. kicks, stamps etc.) committed out of sight of officials.”

Referee Atkinson will not take charge of a match this weekend. With a reduced Premier League fixture list, due to the Capital One Cup final, Atkinson is required only for fourth official’s duty at Manchester United versus Sunderland on Saturday.