Chelsea’s Tuchel charged over ref comments after Battle of the Bridge

London (AFP) – Thomas Tuchel was charged on Monday by the Football Association (FA) with improper conduct for his comments about referee Anthony Taylor after Chelsea’s Premier League draw with Tottenham.

The Chelsea boss was unhappy with decisions before both Tottenham goals on August 14 and said after the match that “maybe it would be better” if Taylor did not referee the Blues again.

Tuchel has already been hit with a £35,000 (41,000 euro) fine and a suspended one-match ban for his touchline confrontations with Spurs boss Antonio Conte at Stamford Bridge.

Both coaches were sent off and Conte was fined £15,000.

The FA has now added the charge of improper conduct because his comments in the post-match press conference “imply bias and/or question the integrity of the match referee, and/or bring the game into disrepute,” it said in a statement.

“Thomas Tuchel has until Thursday, August 25, 2022 to provide a response.”

Tuchel was incensed as Tottenham battled back for a draw with Harry Kane’s added-time header.

The Blues felt there was a foul and an offside in the build-up before Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg scored Tottenham’s first equaliser.

Chelsea were also unhappy Taylor took no action when Tottenham’s Cristian Romero’s pulled Marc Cucurella’s hair as they waited for a corner.

Romero’s grab was checked and dismissed by VAR. When the corner was taken, Kane scored. 

Mike Dean, who was in charge of VAR for the game, later said he made a mistake in not asking Taylor to review the incident on the pitch-side monitor. That could have led to a red card for Romero for violent conduct.

After the match, asked if Taylor should not referee Chelsea again, Tuchel replied: “Maybe it would be better, maybe it would be better.

“But honestly we also have VAR to help make the right decisions. Since when can players have their hair pulled, since when is that?”

“I don’t think that just some of the fans think that: I can assure you that the whole dressing room of us, every person thinks that.

“Not only the fans. You know the players, they know what’s going on when they are on the pitch. They know it.”

Asked if the players are worried when Taylor is in charge, Tuchel added: “Yeah, of course.”