Nottingham Forest assistant boss Alan Tate has been handed a fine and a one-match touchline ban after admitting “improper and/or violent” behaviour.
A stormy 1-1 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers at the City Ground last month saw tempers flare on and off the pitch. Among the incidents, the visitors felt they should have had a penalty, arguing Adama Traore was fouled by Felipe.
That led to the two coaching teams squaring up in the second half. Referee Chris Kavanagh responded by sending off Tate and Wolves assistant manager Pablo Sanz.
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The pair were charged by the Football Association. And the FA have now dished out their punishment.
A statement said: “Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Pablo Sanz and Nottingham Forest’s Alan Tate have been given one-match touchline bans and £6,000 fines for misconduct. It was alleged that the assistant managers’ behaviour during the 52nd minute of their Premier League game on Saturday 1 April was improper and/or violent.
“Pablo Sanz admitted that his behaviour was improper, and Alan Tate admitted that his behaviour was improper and/or violent. An independent Regulatory Commission found these charges to be proven and imposed their sanctions following a hearing.”
Earlier this month, Forest were fined £55,000 after players surrounded Kavanagh when he waved away a handball appeal against Nelson Semedo during the game. The FA said: “Nottingham Forest FC has been fined £55,000 after its players surrounded a match official during the 40th minute of the Premier League game against Wolverhampton Wanderers FC on Saturday 1 April 2023.
“Nottingham Forest FC admitted that it failed to ensure its players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion and do not behave in a way which is improper. An independent Regulatory Commission imposed the club’s sanction following a hearing.”
Cooper said at the time, after the draw, the Reds were prepared for the possibility of a fiery encounter. The teams had also clashed after the Carabao Cup tie between them earlier in the season.
“I can’t deny nothing happened. But I didn’t see exactly how it started because I was facing away,” Cooper said of the touchline flashpoint.
“I don’t say this disrespectfully, but we know there has been a lot of ill-discipline on the Wolves touchline since the change of manager. I haven’t got a problem with it, until you come up against them.
“We were prepared for it. The last thing we wanted was for anything to boil over and there to be any problems.
“But at the same time, at our stadium, we cannot let opposing staff dominate officials and try to influence the game. We have to stand up for it. That’s all it was.
“I don’t want to see any cards for any staff - us or them. I have zero complaints with our staff. At the same time, we know it was something that could possibly happen today, so we were ready for it.
“Whether he (Tate) did or deserve a red card, he’s got one, so we’ll deal with it. I haven’t seen it back. What I do know is, you prepare for a game on the pitch, and sometimes you have to prepare for it off the pitch as well. Certainly in your own stadium, when you’ve got a togetherness like we have, supporters need to see not just the players giving everything, but the staff as well, because we are. That’s all that was.”
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