Roberto De Zerbi given touchline ban for Brighton v West Ham
Roberto De Zerbi will serve a one game touchline ban when Brighton host West Ham United at the Amex. The Albion head coach has also been fined £15,000 for his behaviour after the 1-0 defeat to Fulham last month.
According to the FA, De Zerbi “admitted that his behaviour on the pitch at full time was improper and that his behaviour and/or language in the tunnel afterwards towards a match official was abusive and/or insulting and/or improper.”
De Zerbi was sent off in the tunnel after the full time whistle for complaining to referee Darren England about his performance.
Regulation and Discipline update on @OfficialBHAFC: pic.twitter.com/9Q8PEFforA
— FA Spokesperson (@FAspokesperson) March 3, 2023
The Albion boss was less than impressed his side had been on the receiving end of some terrible decisions, with the Cottagers’ time wasting and gamesmanship particularly irking De Zerbi.
Such a poor refereeing performance could not have come at a more ironic time. 48 hours earlier, PGMOL chief Howard Webb held a two hour meeting with De Zerbi to explain and apologise for the total cock up VAR made ruling out a perfectly good Brighton goal at Crystal Palace.
De Zerbi said after being charged by the FA he did not swear at Mr England, insisting it was a Fulham player and that his red card was therefore a result of mistaken identity. “I can hear one opponent say a bad word and I won’t repeat this word.”
The case was treated as as non-standard by the FA, whatever that means. De Zerbi will also need to pay a £15,000 fine.
Not that he was particularly impressed by the outcome. Speaking in his press conference before the West Ham, game De Zerbi said of the hearing and punishment: “It is good because it is finished and we start again.”
“I have been in football for 30 years. I have to accept the decision even if I don’t think they are right. That is not a problem, the problem is to win the game tomorrow, with me or without me on the bench. I don’t consider the decision to be right.”
De Zerbi’s touchline ban and Fulham red card come on top of two previous bookings and an altercation on the touchline with Brentford boss Thomas Frank. That is some going in the space of six months in charge.
The Albion head coach also confirmed that his assistant manager Andrea Maldera will be in control on the touchline as Brighton seek to continue their unbeaten record since promotion against the Hammers.
Maldera is unfortunately not the member of De Zerbi’s coaching team who is the spitting image of Greg Wallace, denying us the opportunity to make all manner of terrible Masterchef and cooking related puns around the West Ham match.
Brighton were most recently without their manager in the dugout last season when Graham Potter and Billy Reid were both struck down by Covid before the trip to Leicester City.
Bjorn Hamberg took time out from singing in an ABBA tribute band to take charge, leading the Albion to an important 1-1 draw at the King Power Stadium.
