Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri has been charged by the FA with misconduct following his ejection from the dugout during the final moments of his side's frustrating 2-2 draw with Burnley.
The Italian had repeatedly encroached on opposition boss Sean Dyche's dugout during the opening stages of the clash at Stamford Bridge, leading assistant manager Gianfranco Zola to apologise to Dyche at half time, protesting Sarri's ignorance to the English procedure.
However, things then boiled over at the end of the second period, with Sarri once again departing his technical area, before exchanging heated words with members of Burnley's bench, ultimately leading to his ejection from the dugout in the 94th minute.
The 60-year-old has now been charged for his behaviour. In an official statement, the governing body explained: "Maurizio Sarri has been charged with misconduct in relation to his behaviour in the 94th minute of Monday’s [22/04/2019] Premier League fixture between Chelsea and Burnley.
"The Chelsea manager has until 18:00 on Friday [26/04/2019] to provide a response."
Maurizio Sarri has been charged following Monday’s [22/04/2019] Premier League fixture between Chelsea and Burnley. Full statement: https://t.co/lUqNYwrAD6. pic.twitter.com/pndf2sh3hV
— FA Spokesperson (@FAspokesperson) April 24, 2019
After the game, the tactician refused to engage in any post-match formalities with the press, handing duties over to Zola, who alluded to the fact that the former Napoli manager had been provoked with insults from the Clarets' backroom staff, with ESPN reporting he had been repeatedly called a 'sh*t Italian'.
Speaking on the incident, Zola revealed: "He's very frustrated, so he'd prefer not to come over here. He's been sent off. I think he's been offended as well, so he didn't feel it was the right thing to do, to speak to you.
"I think he's been told something from their bench, but don't ask me exactly what. I don't want to go down that line, but we'll see what we can do about that. I think there will be a follow [up] on that. Maurizio felt very unhappy. We understand it's a football game. You say words because of the adrenalin, but he wasn't particularly happy."
It is understood that the club lodged an official complaint with referee Kevin Friend after the game, with the FA now reviewing the official's report of the game. If the claims are found to be valid, according to the Times, it would constitute a clear violation of FA’s rule E3[1], which covers 'abusive or insulting references to race, nationality, religion or sexual orientation'.
Source : 90min