Chelsea's Desailly to miss Champions League match against Monaco
First Published: Apr 30, 2004
Chelsea defender Marcel Desailly (L) challenges Monaco striker Dado Prso during the first leg of the Champions League semi-final. Desailly will miss the second leg after an appeal failed to overturn a ban for violent conduct.
Marcel Desailly will miss Chelsea's Champions League semi-final, second leg against Monaco next week after an appeal to overturn the ban for violent conduct failed.
UEFA, European football's governing body, cut the suspension Friday from three matches to two but that was not enough to put Desailly in the frame for Wednesday's tie.
The France captain elbowed Monaco striker Fernando Morientes during their 3-1 first leg defeat last week and Chelsea must now accept being without the defender at Stamford Bridge.
Last week Chelsea coach Claudio Ranieri admitted losing Desailly would be a major blow to his plans of qualifying for the final.
"We'll miss him a lot as his experience is very important for us," he said.
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