Mousa Dembele handed six match suspension for Diego Costa eye gouge

Word just came through: Tottenham Hotspur midfield star Mousa Dembele has been handed a six-match suspension for his involvement in an altercation with Diego Costa during Spurs' 2-2 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Monday.

Dembele was caught on camera gouging the eye of Costa in the middle of a sideline scrum between Chelsea and Tottenham players. Earlier today, it was reported that Dembele and Tottenham had accepted the FA's charge of violent conduct but was contesting that the suspension be more than the standard of three games. The FA originally stated that the standard punishment was "clearly insufficient" when announcing the charges against Dembele.

From the FA's announcement:

The Tottenham Hotspur midfielder accepted the charge but denied The FA’s claim that the standard punishment of three matches which would otherwise apply to this offence was clearly insufficient.

An Independent Regulatory Commission upheld The FA’s claim at a hearing today [Friday 6 May 2016] and ordered that an additional three-match suspension was appropriate.

This means that Moose will be out for the final two matches of this season as well as the first four matches of next season. That makes the new 2016-17 Premier League fixture list, which is set to be released on June 15, even more important.