Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has been banned from his side’s Premier League match against Leicester on Saturday over the role he played in the heated clash with Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte two weeks ago.
Tuchel admitted to improper conduct following the heated confrontation with Conte after the full-time whistle of a fractious 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge earlier this month, and the FA responded by handing the German a one-match ban as well as a £35,000 fine.
After receiving the FA’s written reasons for the punishment, which found that Tuchel’s behaviour had been “highly provocative” during his extended handshake with Conte, the Chelsea manager appealed the ban but admitted he did not expect it to be overturned.
Tuchel said on Friday that he did not understand why he had been found “largely culpable” for the touchline row and why Conte had only escaped with a £15,000 fine.
An independent disciplinary panel suspended the touchline ban pending a possible Chelsea appeal, allowing Tuchel to be in the dugout in Sunday’s 3-0 defeat at Leeds, but those appeals were dismissed on Friday.
In the FA’s written reasons for the dismissal, the independent disciplinary panel said Tuchel had showed “a worrying lack of insight” for attributing a greater share of the blame with Conte.
It means Tuchel will not be on the touchline at Stamford Bridge for the visit of Leicester tomorrow, which has turned into a pressure-match for the Blues after last weekend’s dismal defeat at Elland Road.
Asked on Friday if he had appealed against his touchline ban, Tuchel replied: “Yeah, we answered and we wait for the final answer. But I don’t think that it will change anything.
“So in the moment I think I will be banned from the touchline, and that’s it. And we are trying to have a solution for this scenario that we have. The team will be well-prepared and it won’t be an excuse.
“I don’t think I will be on the bench so it’s not 100 per cent sure; we’re waiting for the last response. I think I cannot be on the sidelines as it seems, but I can be in the dressing room.”
Tuchel continues to wait for the outcome from another FA disciplinary charge, of bringing the game into disrepute for his comments on referee Anthony Taylor.
Tuchel said “maybe it would be better” if Taylor did not referee Chelsea again after the Tottenham draw, lamenting a number of decisions that went against the Blues.
Additional reporting from PA
