Tottenham 2-1 Brighton: At Tottenham Hotspur-Brighton & Hove Albion, the head coaches of both teams were sent to the stands with red after constant arguing. It wasn’t really clear what the argument was about exactly. According to Brighton’s Roberto De Zerbi, it was a personal situation.
Disputing Spurs and Brighton managers play hide and seek after red cards
De Zerbi and Cristian Stellini, Tottenham’s interim manager, did not exactly set a good example for their players on Saturday. Even before kick-off, the coaches got into a fight. When Stellini came to shake hands with his colleague, he received a strong reprimand.
It remained unfriendly during the match. Referee Stuart Attwell had had enough after an hour and sent both De Zerbi and Stellini to the stands. The coaches disappeared bleating into the catacombs and afterwards everyone was naturally curious about what had happened.
There was not much clarity. “I respect everyone, on and off the field, and especially coaches. I expect the same in return,” De Zerbi said. “Did Stellini show him a disrespect? Yes. It was a personal situation and I told him how I felt about it. No bad words, just my thoughts. I don’t want to explain that any further.”
De Zerbi was annoyed by the behavior of the Spurs staff.
During the game, De Zerbi was annoyed by the behavior of the Spurs staff. “I don’t like it when the other bench puts pressure on the referee. We have to help the referee,” the Italian grumbled. “My passion is part of my character, I can’t lose that. But the most important thing is that everyone is respected.”
Stellini didn’t feel like discussing the quarrel with De Zerbi. “What happens on the field stays on the field,” he said. “I don’t like getting involved in an argument. I’m a quiet person, focused on the game and just trying to do my job. I just want to talk about the game. That’s more important than anything else.”
Will Stellini be kind to De Zerbi next time? “Of course, I am a friendly person. Football is meant to be enjoyed and I don’t like to show anything bad. This has never happened to me before. I have a lot of power in me, but I want to use it in the right way and fight with my team,” the manager answered.
