Thomas Tuchel’s ‘highly provocative’ behavior sparked rift with Antonio Conte, FA boss

Chelsea were considering appealing against Thomas Tuchel’s one-game ban on the touchline on Wednesday night after written reasons for his punishment were revealed.

Tuchel and Tottenham boss Antonio Conte has admitted inappropriate behavior following their clash following the 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge 11 days ago which resulted in red cards for both men.

It was confirmed on Wednesday that Tuchel’s fury was sparked by Conte not looking him in the eye when the couple shook hands.

Thomas Tuchel was ‘largely guilty’ of clash with Antonio Conte, FA rule

Tuchel and Conte faced off shaking hands after their fiery derby at Stamford Bridge

Tuchel saw this as disrespectful and aggressively lured Conte towards him, turning the Italian tour around and sparking a mass confrontation involving players, staff and stewards.

Tuchel received the heaviest punishment, a £35,000 fine and a one-game sideline ban, while Conte was fined £15,000.

The Chelsea manager’s ban has yet to be served after the club asked to see the Independent Panel’s written reasons for his sanction before deciding on an appeal.

Tuchel was therefore still on the touchline for Chelsea’s 3-0 defeat at Leeds last Sunday. They host struggling Leicester on Saturday, a game Tuchel could miss if his club accepted the punishment.

Both managers have been charged after receiving red cards from referee Anthony Taylor

Tuchel said he kept shaking Conte’s hand as he felt the Italian had been disrespectful by not looking him in the eye.

In the written reasons, it was confirmed that both managers apologized for their role in the incident and accepted their guilt. In his letter explaining his role, Tuchel said: “Mr. Conte took my hand but didn’t look at me and I took his behavior as a sign of disrespect towards me.

“So I held his hand as he walked past me and told him to look me in the eye when he shakes my hand.

“Mr. Conte responded in Italian and acted very aggressively towards me. I didn’t react to his aggression and I didn’t say anything insulting to him.

“I recognize that I could and should have handled Mr. Conte’s conduct towards me in a more appropriate manner (for example, by speaking to him afterwards in private).”

The FA’s independent regulatory commission says Tuchel’s reaction was ‘simply not justifiable’

Conte said: “I reached out my hand to him with the intention of briefly shaking his, but he grabbed my hand and did not release his grip.

“Due to his very firm grip, my arm jerked, causing me to recoil. I was both surprised and unhappy that such a handshake made me step back with such physical force.

“I did not overreact to this provocation and, under the circumstances, I was proud of the way I conducted myself. If I had reacted, I understand that the situation would have been much worse.

The commission concluded that Tuchel had caused the burst by a “highly provocative act”, without which “the subsequent melee…would not have taken place”.

The panel found that Conte was “unwittingly, literally, drawn into the confrontation” and that Tuchel’s actions were “simply not justifiable”.

Conte was fined £15,000 for his actions but managed to avoid a touchline ban while Tuchel was hit with a one-game touchline ban

They continued: “Quick handshakes are common at the end of very busy matches and there is no requirement for one person to look the other in the eye while shaking hands.” As Tuchel was deemed ‘largely guilty’, it was decided that the Chelsea manager would receive the harshest punishment.

The fine for a standard FA charge of misbehavior in the Premier League is £8,000.

But the Tuchel and Conte case was treated as a non-standard charge because of the assault presented. This gave the commission greater scope on penalties, contributing to larger fines.