Chelsea's Mikel calls for suspensions to be overturned

Mohamad Mosselhi, Wednesday 25 Apr 2012

Midfielder John Obi Mikel says UEFA should lift suspension of four Chelsea players who will otherwise be barred from Champions League final

Mikel Obi
Chelsea's John Mikel Obi (Photo: Reuters)

Chelsea's Nigerian midfielder John Obi Mikel has called on the UEFA to overturn the recent suspension of a handful of Chelsea players, adding that his teammates did not deserve to miss an event as important as the Champions League final.

"The yellow cards should be cancelled going into a final – the UEFA should look into that," Mikel was quoted as saying by Sky Sports. "When you get to the final, everyone wants to see the best players, so it's a shame that JT, Ivanovic, Meireles and Ramires won't play."

Chelsea reserved their place in the UEFA Champions League final at the expense of defending champions Barcelona following their stunning 2-2 draw at Camp Nou in the second leg of Champions League semis on Tuesday to win 3-2 on aggregate.

The Blues will play the final without their captain John Terry, who received a red card during Tuesday's draw.

Ramires, who scored the first goal for the visitors, defender Branislav Ivanovic, and midfielder Raul Meireles will also miss the Berlin trip due to second yellow cards.

"The JT one was soft from what I saw and it was a yellow card. I think Sanchez made the most of it," said Mikel. "Alexis did the same to me as well – he got me yellow-carded."

"There was a little touch and he rolled on the ground ten times. He definitely made the most of it," the midfielder added. "The four players were devastated in the dressing room."

"They're happy for the team, but are very disappointed to not be in the final. We plan to win the trophy for them," he concluded.

Chelsea are currently awaiting the winner of Wednesday's semi-finals between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

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