Essien faces UEFA charge

Friday 9 December, 2005

Michael Essien has been hit with a gross unsporting conduct charge by UEFA for his horror tackle on Dietmar Hamann.

The incident occurred during Tuesday’s 0-0 Champions' League draw between Chelsea and Liverpool, when the former Lyon midfielder caught his German counterpart just below the knee.

Despite action being brought against the Ghana international, Hamann claims that he would prefer to forget the incident. “Nobody from Chelsea has said anything to me and Essien hasn't apologised or anything like that,” he said.

“The referee blew the whistle for something else just a second beforehand but with four officials around the pitch these days, did nobody see what happened?

“I thought they were trying to stop things like that happening in the game. But it's finished as far as I'm concerned. It's not for me to say whether it was a booking or a red card – for me it's finished.”