The Tottenham midfielder has been handed a hefty punishment after an incident with the Chelsea striker in Monday's ill-tempered Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge
Mousa Dembele has been handed a six-game ban by the Football Association (FA) after theTottenham midfielder admitted a charge of violent conduct relating to his altercation with Diego Costa in Monday's 2-2 draw at Chelsea.
The Belgium international appeared to gouge the striker's eye in an incident that was missed by officials during an ill-tempered match at Stamford Bridge that ultimately ended Spurs' Premier League title hopes.
Though Dembele did not contest the charge, he disagreed with the FA's stance that his actions were worthy of a lengthier suspension than the standard three-match punishment.
However, an Independent Regulatory Commission upheld the FA's claim and the governing body made its ruling on Friday.
Tottenham had nine players booked in Monday's fiery clash, while there were also ugly scenes after the final whistle as the teams made their way down the tunnel.
The visitors had to win to keep alive their top-flight title dream but threw away a two-goal lead to hand Leicester City the crown.
Dembele will now miss the final two games of this season against Southampton and Newcastle United and the first four matches of the new campaign.
It had been reported that Spurs would seek to challenge any ban longer than three games, although boss Mauricio Pochettino did concede his players had "maybe crossed the line" against Chelsea in a press conference on Friday.
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