The red card given to Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink in Wednesday's Worthington Cup defeat at Tottenham has been transferred to Chelsea team-mate Mario Melchiot.
Blues' top-scorer Hasselbaink was mistakenly sent off by referee Mark Halsey for appearing to raise a hand to the face of Spurs' striker Teddy Sheringham - sparking a melee after 55 minutes of the semi-final clash at White Hart Lane.
But TV coverage showed Hasselbaink's Dutch international team-mate Melchiot was the offender.
And an FA spokesman today confirmed the decision to transfer the punishment from the striker to the 25-year-old defender had been reached following correspondence with Halsey.
Melchiot - who picked up a yellow card four minutes later in the midweek game for a foul on Mauricio Taricco - will therefore start a three-match suspension on February 6th.
PA
