Thomas Tuchel will serve his one-match touchline ban against Leicester today as the Blues welcome the foxes to Stamford Bridge. This follows the decision of the FA to implement a one-match touchline ban that was recommended for the erring manager after he clashed with Antonio Conte.
It was not the best of scenes to behold at Stamford Bridge on Premier League matchday 2 when Chelsea hosted Tottenham in a heated encounter. Harry Kane pulled a 96th-minute equalizer to hold their domineering London rivals after Chelsea had taken the lead twice courtesy of Kalidou Coulibaly and Reece James.
The match ended in a 2-2 draw, but tensions spilled from the pitch to the touchline, with the two managers clashing twice. Anthony Taylor had previously issued a warning with yellow cards to both managers after tensions began to simmer on the touchlines.
Tuchel and Conte had trespassed each other’s technical area each time their team scored. Conte had hinted of a tough match before the game as he sought to break Tuchel’s recent dominance of the London derby.
At the end of the final whistle, things went sour. A friendly handshake turned into a heated struggle between the two managers, both players, and officials, flogged into the scene. Anthony Taylor, the center referee, issued red cards for both managers after the incident.
After the incident, Tuchel admitted in a post-match press conference that ‘nothing happened; it was just football.’ He even laughed off the incident.
Meanwhile, the FA had set up an independent inquiry to investigate the circumstances that resulted in the dugout clash and recommend appropriate penalties.
According to the independent Regulatory commission, both managers erred and breached FA rules.
“An independent Regulatory Commission has today ordered that Thomas Tuchel be fined £35,000 and banned from the touchline for one match, and Antonio Conte be fined £15,000 after they respectively breached FA Rule E3.”
The independent Regulatory Commission recommended a fine of £35,000 and a touchline ban for Tuchel, while Conte was slammed £15,000 without a touchline ban
Both managers had admitted wrongdoing in the feud, but Tuchel had kicked after Conte was not given a one-match ban too. The Chelsea manager has been adjudged as the main progenitor and protagonist in the feud.
The former Borussia Dortmund manager has reportedly appealed against the decision. Still, a statement shared by the FA has indicated that his appeal has been dismissed and the grounds of the dismissal communicated.
Tuchel will serve the one-match ban today as Chelsea welcomes Leicester City to Stamford Bridge. The Blues suffered a shocking 3-0 defeat in the hands of Leeds at Elland Road. Tuchel will be watching from the stands as he serves the one-match ban. Despite his current ordeal, overturning a two-match winless run should be an utmost priority.
