Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has issued an apology for throwing a coin back into the crowd during their Carling Cup defeat by Burnley.

But he could still be subject to an investigation by the Football Association over the incident.

Drogba was handed a yellow card when he was seen throwing the coin back into the crowd after putting Chelsea in front in the 27th minute.

A spokesman for Chelsea said: “We will deal with this in the usual way.

"We are aware there is an incident. But we will not discuss it further until we have seen the referee’s report.”

Burnley manager Owen Coyle did not see the incident and Chelsea coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said: “I have not spoken with Didier about any problem.

"The referee gave him a yellow card but I did not see what happened.”

In a statement on the club’s website, Drogba said: “This is something I want to make clear.

"I tried to celebrate the goal and I received some things at me.

“The big mistake I did was to throw it back so if someone was hurt I just want to apologise for it.

“This is not something I should show in a football match and I want to apologise.

"It was an incident in the heat of the moment and I regret it.

“It was just a mistake and nothing more.”

A three-match ban is the only appropriate response to the coin-throwing incident, according to players' chief Gordon Taylor.

Taylor said: "It's there for all to see, he's done something that's against the rules required of players, and a similar situation resulted in a three-match ban for Jamie Carragher."

He added: "So it would be very difficult to avoid an accusation that they (the FA) are inconsistent if they don't follow that line."

Investigations into the incident have been launched by the Metropolitan Police and the FA.

Drogba received a yellow card from referee Keith Stroud but it is understood the booking was for a 'one-fingered' gesture to the visiting fans.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "I can confirm we are investigating the incident.

"An inquiry is being conducted by the Football Unit at Fulham police station. No-one has been arrested."

An FA spokesman added: "We are investigating. That's all I can say until we have had a chance to look into it further."