By Betsefy
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel and Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte have both been charged by the FA after their scuffle at the end of Sunday’s 2-2 draw in the Premier League.
The Blues boss did not take kindly to Conte’s celebrations after Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg cancelled out Kalidou Koulibaly‘s opener, and the two men needed to be separated on the touchline.
Tuchel proceeded to run down the side of the pitch past a disconsolate Conte when Reece James restored Chelsea’s lead, but Harry Kane popped up with a last-gasp equaliser for Tottenham.
The two managers once again became engaged in a fracas at the final whistle after Tuchel refused to let go of Conte’s hand, and numerous members of staff had to get involved to quell the drama.
Now, the FA have announced that both Tuchel and Conte have been charged with a breach of FA Rule E3, with the duo demonstrating “improper behaviour” leading to their subsequent red cards.
© Reuters
“Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte have both been charged with a breach of FA Rule E3, following the Premier League fixture between Chelsea FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC on Sunday 14 August 2022,” a statement read.
“It is alleged that the behaviour of both managers was improper following the end of the fixture. Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte have until Thursday 18 August 2022 to provide their respective responses.”
Both managers played down the incident after the game, although Conte insisted that he would always ‘fight aggression with aggression’ if the situation called for it.
“If I see aggression then my answer is aggression,” Conte told reporters. “It’s not so important. The most important thing is football and to speak about football. It was an intensive game.
“Honestly the referee showed me a red card but he didn’t understand the dynamic of what happened, but ok I have to accept but I repeat it’s not a big problem. The problem is between me and the other coach, not with the referee.”
© Reuters
Tuchel was aggrieved at two instances before both of Spurs’ goals on the day, with a perceived foul on Kai Havertz not being flagged before Hojbjerg levelled proceedings.
Cristian Romero then appeared to drag Marc Cucurella down to the turf by his hair before the corner that resulted in Kane’s equaliser, but the German still cut a calm figure after the game.
“I thought when you shake hands that you look into each other’s eyes. Antonio had a different opinion. It was emotional. He was happy when he equalised, things got a bit heated, nothing big,” Tuchel said.
“If we meet, we meet. If not, not. It’s not a problem. It’s a football match, come on guys. Between men, two competitors, nothing bad happened.”
Conte is set to serve his touchline ban when Spurs take on Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday lunchtime, while Chelsea’s next fixture sees them travel to Leeds United on Sunday.
