Conte banned from Spurs dugout and dressing room at Marseille for red card
Antonio Conte will be absent from the Tottenham dugout and dressing room for their Champions League clash against Marseille at the Stade Velodrome.
The Italian was sent off by referee Danny Makkelie following a controversial end to the 1-1 draw with Sporting Lisbon on Wednesday, as Harry Kane’s stoppage-time strike was ruled out by the VAR due to a marginal offside decision.
According to the Guardian, UEFA have since confirmed that it would impose the sanction based on their disciplinary regulations, which state:
“A player or an official sent off from the field of play and/or its immediate surrounds, including the technical area, is automatically suspended for the next match of the competition in which the expulsion occurred.
“A team manager/coach or other team official who is sent off or suspended from carrying out his function may not be in the technical area or communicate directly with the team’s players and/or technical staff during the match.
“In addition, a team manager/coach or any other team official who is suspended from carrying out his function may not enter the dressing room or tunnel before or during the match.””
As a result of the punishment, Conte will not be allowed to contact his players at the stadium before or during the fixture. He will also be forced to sit in the stand.
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It was an infuriating night for Spurs, who would have secured qualification for the knockout stages with a game to spare had Kane’s strike stood.
The Tottenham boss was seething after the game and claimed “VAR is doing a lot of damage” in his post-match interview with BT Sport.
“I think the ball was in front of Kane and the goal is a goal. Yeah. I don’t understand the line they put. It is very difficult to comment on this decision.
“VAR is doing a lot of damage. I want to see if in another stadium of a big team if they are ready to disallow this type of goal. I’d like to know this.
“A lot of injustice. I don’t like this type of situation. I see not positive things.
“The second half was positive and we played with a great intensity. We deserved to win but we know what happened.
“I don’t understand why we have to get something from the next game when we can finish the qualification in this game. When you invent this type of situation, you create a lot of damage [to] the club.”
Nevertheless, qualification remains in their hands with the north Londoners still occupying top spot in Group D.
They require only a point to guarantee a top-two finish in the group, while a victory will secure first place and a seeded spot in the last-16 draw.