LONDON (AP) — Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel will not be in the dugout against Leicester in the English Premier League on Saturday after failing in his appeal against a one-game touchline ban for a post-match scuffle with Tottenham counterpart Antonio Conte.
The appeal board’s decision was handed down on Friday. Tuchel also will still have to pay a fine of 35,000 pounds ($41,000).
Tuchel’s touchline ban for improper conduct was suspended temporarily pending the full written reasons for the decision, allowing him to take his place in the dugout for the 3-0 loss at Leeds last Sunday.
Tuchel and Conte, who had already had a heated clash in the technical area during a Chelsea-Tottenham game at Stamford Bridge on Aug. 14, went head-to-head after the final whistle when the traditional handshake went awry because Tuchel didn’t let go of his grip, intimating that Conte was being disrespectful for not looking in his eyes.
The incident set off pushing and shoving among players and backroom staff, and Tuchel and Conte were shown red cards.
The independent commission said it was “quite clearly (Tuchel) who instigated the confrontation” by choosing to grip Conte’s hand and “jolt him back.”
“Cursory handshakes are a common occurrence at the end of highly charged football matches,” the commission said, “and there exists no obligation for one person to look the other in the eye whilst shaking hands.”
It added Tuchel performed a “highly provocative act.”
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