Antonio Conte calls FA charge ‘soft’ after fiery touchline BUST-UP with Thomas Tuchel
Antonio Conte has labelled the FA’s misconduct charge on him as ‘soft’ but said he will accept it after his clash with Thomas Tuchel during Sunday’s tense 2-2 draw with Tottenham.
Chelsea manager Tuchel and Tottenham boss Conte twice had to be separated, sparking furious scenes at Stamford Bridge.
The FA had confirmed on Monday night that the pair have been charged with improper conduct.
Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte have been charged with improper conduct by the FA
There was a disagreement between Tuchel and Conte when they went to shake hands
The Italian, speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday’s clash with Wolves, said he will accept the charge but believes the FA’s decision was slightly unnecessary.
He said: ‘It’s not the first time, it won’t be the last time two coaches do not agree,’ while he added that he hoped to be on the touchline for the weekend.
Both managers were shown red cards after clashing at the full-time whistle and could be heading for a touchline ban or a fine if found guilty by the FA.
It was part of a controversial game with tempers originally flaring when Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg equalised for Spurs, with Chelsea calling for both a foul on Kai Havertz in the build-up, and an offside against Richarlison.
The two coaches twice had to be separated in what has been dubbed the second Battle of the Bridge
Tuchel then sprinted past the Spurs dugout when Reece James put the hosts ahead after 77 minutes, before Harry Kane’s 96th minute equaliser saw a further flashpoint develop.
Spurs’ Cristian Romero pulled Marc Cucurella to the floor by his hair as the pair grappled at a corner but referee Anthony Taylor and Mike Dean, who was on VAR duty, didn’t act.
The resulting corner was nodded in by the England captain, infuriating Tuchel in the process.
The German is also under investigation for comments that he made after the game in which he appeared to question the integrity of referee Taylor, suggesting that the 43-year-old should not be allowed to officiate Chelsea matches in future.
Cristian Romero (centre) tugged Marc Cucurella’s hair just moments before Spurs equalised
Referee Anthony Taylor was criticised by Tuchel for some of the decisions that he made
An FA spokesperson said on Monday: ‘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.
‘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.’
