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Thomas Tuchel is facing a potential rap from the Football Association after they opened an investigation into his comments following Chelsea’s heated draw with Tottenham.
Spurs twice came from behind in a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge which was overshadowed by repeated clashes between the two managers, who were both shown red cards after squaring up at full-time when they went to shake hands.
Before Tottenham’s first equaliser there appeared to be a foul on Kai Havertz several phases of play earlier while Richarlison was in an offside position when Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg struck his shot.
Shortly before Harry Kane’s stoppage-time leveller, Cristian Romero also escaped without seeing any punishment despite grabbing Marc Cucurella’s hair.
Referee Anthony Taylor was at the centre of the drama and Chelsea fans have long felt they have got the rough end of decisions when he has been in charge – with the latest controversies prompting a petition to prevent him from refereeing their matches in future.
In the past, Taylor has shown debatable red cards to Reece James and Mateo Kovacic in big games but missed punishable offences such as Harry Maguire kicking out at Michy Batshuayi.
Usually managers avoid criticising the officials but a livid Tuchel was scathing about Taylor’s performance and sided with Chelsea fans who felt he should not be allowed to officiate their matches anymore.
Asked if Taylor should not referee Chelsea games, he said: ‘Maybe it would be better. Maybe it would be better.’
The German coach also claimed his players were ‘worried’ about playing in matches officiated by Taylor, and, when asking about fans’ concerns, added: ‘Not only the fans. You know the players, they know what’s going on when they are on the pitch. They know it.’
But, according to the Daily Mail, Tuchel’s comments have now trigged an FA probe on top of already facing a potential one-match touchline ban for his red card.
Both the Chelsea boss and Conte are also waiting to learn if they will face an FA charge for the full-time scuffle, though Spurs could contest their manager’s suspension given that it was Tuchel who instigated the kerfuffle by not letting go of his rival’s hand.
The FA will examine the referee’s report on Monday before deciding if further action is needed regarding the altercation on the pitch, before then tackling Tuchel’s post-match comments.
FA open investigation into Thomas Tuchel’s comments after Chelsea’s draw with Spurs (msn.com)