Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi walked a disciplinary tightrope with a furious rant in the direction of Howard Webb after being sent off on Saturday.
The Italian was given a red card after the full-time whistle after berating the match officials in what was a tricky afternoon for his side. The Seagulls fell to a slender 1-0 defeat as Manor Solomon netted an 88th-minute winner for Fulham at the AMEX Stadium.
It is unclear what specifically earned the former Shakhtar Donetsk schemer his marching orders but he explained that complaints over a meeting of match officials shouldered some of the blame. The PGMOL came together in the week following a number of controversial decisions - one of which being Pervis Estupinan’s ruled-out strike for Brighton against Crystal Palace.
Asked why he was sent off, De Zerbi replied: “Because I told the referee that this week we had a meeting with his boss [Howard Webb] and I lost time and lost time in my work and my job because I think the level of refereeing in the Premier League is very bad. To progress we have to be with a different attitude.
“The referee today wasn’t in a good attitude. But it’s not a problem, I didn’t say any bad words but I told him my opinion.
"I lost time. I lost time in my work to prepare my team. It was the last time I will have a meeting.
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"I’m not angry because we played a fantastic game. This is our way, we have to follow it. We had many chances to score, we suffered nothing but we know very well how football can be and there are these type of games where you have a lot of chances to score but in the end you lose the game.
"I’m not frustrated but it’s my opinion about the referee. When I speak about referees I speak about in terms of attitude. He was not very clear in his attitude. I don’t want to explain more but I wanted to explain my red card."
It remains to be seen if De Zerbi will face any retrospective action for his comments, with a ban potentially on the cards. He will already face a one-match touchline ban for the red card but that could be extended following further investigation.
Whether the Seagulls have the Italian on the touchline or not, they will be keen to get back on track sooner rather than later. The reverse at the hands of Fulham was their first defeat of 2023 since a 4-2 loss at the hands of Arsenal on New Year’s Eve.
They were originally set to face Newcastle next Friday but that game has been postponed due to the Magpies’ participation in the Carabao Cup final against Manchester United. Brighton are next in action in ten days’ time with their FA Cup showdown with Stoke, a game in which De Zerbi will miss.
It is uncertain whether he will return for their next Premier League clash against struggling West Ham United in early March.
