Tottenham's Dembele receives 6-match ban for eye-gouging

Mousa Dembele's season is over after the Football Association announced that the Tottenham midfielder will be banned for the next six matches for his eye gouge on Chelsea forward Diego Costa.

Dembele will serve his suspension immediately, meaning he will miss Tottenham's final two matches of the season against Southampton and Newcastle.

Related: Tottenham's Dembele accepts violent conduct charge

A statement on the English governing body's website explained why Dembele received a six-match ban rather than the standard three-match suspension:

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.

The incident occurred during a heated match between the London rivals when cameras captured Dembele sticking his fingers into Costa's eyes during a melee on the touchline. The incident went unnoticed by the match official, who was tending to another scuffle.