09 April 2023 , 10:14
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Don't just throw the book at managers who get sent to the stands for losing the plot on the touchline – it's time to hit them with the whole bookshelf.
The behaviour of Tottenham and Brighton's technical staff in Spurs' lucky 2-1 win on Saturday was disgraceful, a pitiful spectacle of grown men behaving like 20 alleycats fighting over a dead mouse. If your local grass-roots game descends into anarchy on the touchline this week, you'll know where they saw the bar being set so low.
And it's high time – long overdue – that the Football Association, Premier League and EFL restored the sanctity and sanity of the technical area. Any head coach, manager, assistant, coaching or medical support staff who strays beyond the clearly-defined box should be sent to the stands. No arguments, no second chances, off you pop.
That means you, Mikel Arteta. That means you, Roberto Ze Zerbi. That means every manager who abuses the privilege of a coaching zone which is now routinely used as a bearpit to berate the fourth official.
Although Arsenal pied piper Arteta's touchline cabaret is celebrated as part of the show, others are now taking advantage of officials' weakness to apply the rules. And that means FA disciplinary hawks at Wembley must send out a strong message to all managers and technical staff: Get back in your box.
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The conduct of Spurs head coach Cristian Stellini's staff and Brighton boss De Zerbi's bench lieutenants was shameful. Although Stellini was baffled by his red card – and it is true that he stood several yards back from the mass confrontation – it is right that he was chucked out with De Zerbi.
Cristian Stellini did stand aside as the coaches clashed (James Marsh/REX/Shutterstock)If managers cannot control their own staff, they should be held responsible for it. And if that means they are consigned to the naughty step for a few games, so be it. Nobody is going to miss a bloke with a clipboard on the bench for a couple of games, but if field generals who call the shots are expelled from the front line, at least it sends out the message that anarchy will not be tolerated.
De Zerbi has built a brilliant team, but he is now facing his third touchline ban of the season and watching his team's FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United from the stands. They can't all have been miscarriages of justice.
“It's no problem if I stay on the bench or not,” he claimed after Brighton's undeserved defeat at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium. I'm sad for this, I'm disappointed about the red card decision and I have to accept it. But one part of my character is passion, and I can't lose this passion. The most important thing is to respect everyone, and you can't find one person (who) can say I didn't respect him."
De Zerbi was entitled to feel let down by poor officials at Tottenham, but respect is a two-way street. He was arguing the toss with Stellini before kick-off and their spat continued down the tunnel after they were sent off. For the hour in between, he was a cat on a hot tin roof, spending much of it outside his technical area virtually on the halfway line. Get back in your box, Roberto – and respect the rules.