In January 2013, Chelsea were embroiled in another scandal when midfielder Eden Hazard received a straight red card for kicking a Swansea ball boy. The Blues were losing their League Cup semi-final 2-0 to the Swans at the time of the incident and Hazard lost his rag over what he perceived to have been time wasting from ball boy Charlie Morgan. Morgan went to retrieve a loose ball but drew Hazard's ire over the speed of which he did so, and when the youngster fell to the ground covering the ball with his body, the Belgian saw red and tried to kick it from underneath him, instead making contact with the lad's ribs. Hazard received a straight red from referee Chris Foy and was later forced to make a grovelling apology over the incident. Police took no action against Hazard, though Morgan was interviewed by South Wales officials in the presence of his father, and did not make a complaint against the midfielder. The FA weren't quite so lenient, and hit Hazard with a three-match ban.
Joseph is an accredited football journalist and has interviewed nearly all of the current 20 Barclay's Premier League managers. He is also a correspondent for Bleacher Report and has written for Caught Offside and Give Me Football.
