Chelsea defender Gary Cahill accused Corinthians striker Emerson of smashing him in the face but admitted he deserved to be sent off for his reaction in the Club World Cup final defeat.
Cahill was still seething after the final whistle at the antics of Emerson, who spent much of Corinthians' 1-0 win in Yokohama rolling around on the floor trying to win the referee's sympathy.
It worked in the 89th minute when Cahill tangled with the forward and was shown a straight red card for lashing out at his opponent.
However, the defender was adamant he had been provoked.
Cahill said: "He lashed out with his arm and hit me in the face.
"Someone's smashed me in the face but I didn't roll around on the floor for five minutes holding my head.
"I got up, reacted and tapped him in the shin. He felt the need to go down, roll around on the floor for about five times holding his face.
"It probably is a red card but the reaction of the guy is totally out of order for what I did if you see the impact.
"It wouldn't have been enough to knock over my one-year-old daughter."
FIFA confirmed Cahill would definitely serve a one-match ban, missing Wednesday's Capital One Cup quarter-final at Leeds.
It is possible that he could incur an additional suspension.
