Tottenham Hotspur will start the 2022-23 Premier League season without new signee Richarlison after the Brazilian forward was handed a one-match ban for throwing a lit flare into the crowd at Goodison Park in Liverpool in May.

Richarlison, who played for Everton last season, scored the sole goal in a 1-0 win over Chelsea at Goodison Park on May 1. Celebrating the goal, the forward picked up a lit flare that had been thrown on to the pitch and threw it back into the crowd. 

The action was apparently meant as part of his celebration, but was seen as dangerous conduct by England’s Football Association because the flare was essentially a lit firework.

“An independent Regulatory Commission has suspended Richarlison de Andrade for one match and fined him £25,000 following a breach of FA Rule E3 that took place during a Premier League game on Sunday 1 May 2022,”

the Football Association said in a statement on Tuesday.

“The Tottenham Hotspur FC forward admitted that his conduct while playing for Everton FC during the 46th minute of this game against Chelsea FC was improper, and his sanction was imposed during a subsequent hearing.”
 
FA Rule E3 governs improper conduct by football players, whether on the field of play or elsewhere. The FA announced at the start of June that Richarlison would be charged with a breach of the rule, although the extent of the punishment was not decided until the regulatory admission ruled this week.
 
Richarlison, who scored 10 Premier League goals last season, signed with Tottenham this summer on a £60 million on a five-year deal, adding the Brazilian starting striker to the Spurs squad.
 
As the charge had already been brought against Richarlison last month, Spurs will have known that something like the one-match ban was an option before agreeing to the deal.
 
The Tottenham men’s squad will fly to Korea within the next week to play two exhibition games and hold a series of events for fans, including offering a chance to meet the players and receive some football coaching. The FA has no oversight over that trip, so Richarlison is likely to still be involved.

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