Tottenham and Brighton each fined £100,000 following recent touchline brawl
Tottenham and Brighton were each fined £100,000 after a recent touchline brawl involving both benches culminated in Cristian Stellini and Roberto De Zerbi being sent to the stands
- Two parties were involved in a bad-tempered affair at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
- The sideline confrontation culminated in both managers being sent to the stands
- Brighton took offense at a number of refereeing decisions during the game
Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton have each been fined £100,000 following the sideline brawl between the two benches in the recent Premier League match.
An ill-tempered game, in which Spurs interim boss Cristian Stellini and Brighton head coach Roberto De Zerbi clashed before kick-off, flared up in the second half with a massive confrontation between staffers from both dugouts.
That led to Stellini, who appeared to be an innocent bystander, and De Zerbi being sent to the stands and both clubs have since been fined by the football association.
A statement from the FA read: ‘Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton and Hove Albion have each been fined £100,000 for a mass confrontation that took place during their Premier League match on Saturday 8 April.
Both clubs admitted that they failed to ensure that their benches behaved in an orderly manner and that they did not behave in an appropriate manner in the 58th minute.
Tottenham and Brighton have both been fined £100,000 by the FA after bad-tempered duel
The ill-tempered affair seemed to boil over even before the players were on the field
“An independent regulatory commission fined them after a subsequent hearing.”
Tottenham’s 2–1 win was shrouded in controversy, as Brighton had two goals disallowed and two strong penalties fouled off, with PGMOL chief Howard Webb forced to apologize for mistakes after the match.
After the match, De Zerbi praised his players for their performances, before criticizing Tottenham for allegedly trying to influence the referee.
“We are very disappointed, very frustrated with the result. We should be proud of this achievement,” he said.
“We must not forget that we are Brighton. We deserved to win the game. We improved because we showed our quality and our style of play.
“I don’t want to put any more pressure on the referees. I don’t like discussing them.
“Many situations were very clear. You can give your opinion on this. It is my job to give my players a clear picture of the game.’
However, Stelllini, seemingly intent on drawing a line under the incident, recently admitted that the FA was right to sue the two clubs.
Brighton felt sad that some key refereeing decisions went against them at Tottenham Hotspur
“Maybe because of the atmosphere we’ve created it’s a good (FA) decision,” he said. “We have to get better, but personally I am happy that we have shown that we are a team, we are connected, we are close and we defend ourselves and our club.
“At the same time, I’m happy because I feel like I wasn’t involved in anything, so it’s a good decision that I stay on the sidelines tomorrow.”
He added that he had “nothing” to say to his counterpart, De Zerbi, and insisted that what happened happen and stay on the “field.”
“No,” he said. “These things stay on the field, you forget these kinds of situations immediately after the game. There’s nothing to say. Everything is good for me.’