Dominic Calvert-Lewin faced no sanction after an apparent hair contact on Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella during the FA Cup semifinal at Wembley. The incident, which occurred midway through the first half, showed downward contact from Calvert-Lewin’s hand to Cucurella’s long, curly hair. Cucurella immediately grabbed the back of his head.

Referee Jarred Gillett did not issue a decision at the time and the match was paused for VAR official Paul Howard to check the footage. Calvert-Lewin was cleared after the review. TNT Sports commentator Darren Fletcher, who had real-time access to the VAR process and conversation, relayed that the contact was from “the flat of the hand” rather than a clenched fist.

The episode invited comparison with an earlier case involving Lisandro Martínez. Only two days before the Chelsea–Leeds semi, a regulatory commission acting for the FA published written reasons for denying Martínez’s appeal against a red card and three-match ban. Interim Manchester United manager Michael Carrick called that decision at the time “one of the worst” he’s ever seen. The club had lodged an appeal arguing that Martínez was the victim of wrongful dismissal and that the ban was “excessive.”

The commission rejected the appeal. It said it did not feel “with any confidence” that the “force exerted” by Martínez on Calvert-Lewin’s hair/scalp was “negligible.” The panel took into account Calvert-Lewin’s reaction, which it said “suggested that he had felt a certain amount of force exerted upon his hair/scalp.” On that basis the commission concluded the VAR interpretation of the Martínez incident was “reasonable” and therefore not an “obvious error.” The match-day announcement that followed the Martínez review had been: “After review, Manchester United 6 is guilty of pulling his hair – violent conduct. Final decision is red card.”

The contrasting outcomes have left Manchester United fans unsettled and prompted wider questions about consistency in officiating in England. The draft also notes that a clear hair pull from Fulham’s Kenny Tete on Manchester City’s Antoine Semenyo in February went unpunished.

The BlueCo period at Chelsea has been defined by instability in the dugout and the steady turnover of managers. With Liam Rosenior the latest to lose the job, the club will begin 2026–27 with a sixth permanent manager under BlueCo. Below are the five bosses who managed more than 10 matches in that era, assessed on results and the lasting imprint of their tenures.

Frank Lampard (Games Managed: 11 | Winning Percentage: 9.1% | Trophies Won: 0)
Frank Lampard’s second spell as caretaker in 2022–23 stands in stark contrast to his earlier success. He had “overcoming a transfer ban to lead the Blues to the Champions League in 2019–20,” but his interim run in April produced Chelsea’s worst recent form. Lampard became the first and only manager in Chelsea’s history to lose the opening four games of his tenure. A 3–1 win against Bournemouth was the lone victory of his caretaker spell and the campaign finished with Chelsea 12th in the Premier League, their lowest top-flight finish since 1994.

Liam Rosenior (Games Managed: 23 | Winning Percentage: 47.8% | Trophies Won: 0)
Rosenior’s period began promisingly, with four consecutive Premier League wins and two Champions League victories that helped Chelsea qualify among the top eight in the group stage. The form collapsed thereafter: apart from FA Cup ties against lower-league opponents, Chelsea won just one of their last 11 matches under Rosenior. The team failed to score against a top-flight opponent in each of their last six games with him in charge. After Enzo Fernández scored a momentary equalizer in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals against Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea were outscored 17–0 by top-flight rivals until Rosenior’s sacking.

Graham Potter (Games Managed: 31 | Winning Percentage: 38.7% | Trophies Won: 0)
Potter, the first permanent BlueCo appointment, was unable to steady the side after Thomas Tuchel’s departure. Chelsea won seven of the 22 Premier League matches Potter oversaw and he left with a joint-lowest points-per-game record for managers with more than 20 league matches at 1.27, tied with Glenn Hoddle. After winning just four matches after the calendar turned to 2023, Potter was dismissed in early April while the club endured its most difficult season of the 21st century. He did reach the Champions League quarterfinals during his tenure.

Taken together, the five tenures reveal a period of repeated disruption and mixed short-term flashes amid extended poor runs of form.

Chelsea’s recent run of poor results has intensified a financial problem that was always tied to performance on the pitch. UEFA included further fines and a suspended one-season ban in the settlement should Chelsea breach the rules again in the next four years. Financial commentators cited by The Times say failing to secure Champions League income would leave the Stamford Bridge club at “serious risk” of breaching the agreement.

The settlement also sets out the potential sporting consequence. “In case of breach of settlement, the CFCB shall terminate the Settlement Agreement, and the club agrees on an exclusion from the next one applicable UEFA club competition for which it would otherwise qualify in the following three seasons,” the statement reads, via The Times.

Those possibilities are not expected to materialise this season because Champions League revenue from 2025–26 and prize money from winning the 2025 Club World Cup should make meeting the settlement feasible. The longer term concern is what happens once those income streams are no longer available.

Some have urged Chelsea to consider the path taken previously by AC Milan and Juventus and accept a one-season ban, on the basis that they may miss qualification for the Europa League or Conference League. The Times reports that Chelsea are not considering a voluntary one-year exclusion.

On the pitch, the situation makes sporting results urgent. Chelsea dismissed Liam Rosenior during the slump and appointed Calum McFarlane as interim manager. The club sit eighth, seven points behind fifth place, with a two-point gap to sixth. If Aston Villa finish fifth and win the Europa League, sixth would be enough for Champions League qualification, a scenario that would substantially ease the financial pressure.

If Champions League qualification is not achieved next season, the most obvious alternative to generate the required revenue would be player sales for major profit. Long-term contracts signed during the BlueCo era complicate that route and would make it harder to produce the necessary transfer gains to avoid breaching the settlement.