Nicolas Jackson may face punishment for arguing with a Nottingham Forest player

Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson is threatened with a ban from playing in the Premier League after being seen slapping Nottingham Forest player Morato. The Blues drew 1-1 when they hosted their opponents in the 7th week of the 2024/25 Premier League, at Stamford Bridge, on Sunday (06th October).

In the match, both teams played equally strong but emotions peaked at the end of the match after Marc Cucurella was pushed and hit his manager, Enzo Maresca, on the sidelines. Maresca fell to the floor due to the impact and the two teams and several substitutes then clashed on the sidelines. The 23-year-old Senegalese striker Jackson had been withdrawn but was involved in a fight and swung his hand at Forest defender Morato, which caused the situation to escalate. Any suspension would be a major blow for Chelsea as Jackson, who struggled last season, has enjoyed an impressive start to the campaign, scoring four goals in seven league games.

VAR officials confirmed they had seen the incident but did not consider it a clear act of violence to overturn the decision of the on-field referee, Graham Kavanagh, who only showed yellow cards to Marc Cucurella and Neco Williams.

Professional Game Match Officials Limited considers the matter closed and Jackson is expected to escape sanction, but the Football Association will make a final decision after assessing the referee's report. Chelsea will be without Marc Cucurella and Wesley Fofana for their next game against Liverpool after the pair picked up their fifth yellow card of the season against Nottingham Forest.

Four other Chelsea players are also out while Nottingham Forest's James Ward-Prowse was sent off for two yellow cards. "I like the way they are a team in these situations. I don't see any problem with that," said Maresca. "But if you ask me about the team spirit, the way they fight together, the way they do things together, I'm very happy."