Mauricio Pochettino

The FA have this evening confirmed that Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has been charged with improper conduct.

Burnley vs Tottenham

In-form Spurs travelled to Turf Moor to take on Sean Dyche’s vastly-improved Clarets on Saturday, in the first of the day’s Premier League fixtures.

Hosts Burnley headed into proceedings on a 7-game unbeaten stretch in the league, while Spurs had picked up 4 straight wins across all competitions, the latest of which saw the North Londoners down Borussia Dortmund by 3 goals to nil in the Champions League last Tuesday night.

LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 13: Son Heung-Min of Tottenham celebrates scoring to make it 1-0 during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 First Leg match between Tottenham Hotspur and Borussia Dortmund at Wembley Stadium on February 13, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

Burnley emerge victorious

But, when all was said and done in Lancashire, Spurs were brought firmly back down to earth, with the capital giants having been on the receiving end of a 2-1 defeat.

On the back of a cagey first-half during which both sides struggled to carve out any real opportunities, Burnley took the lead 10 minutes after the interval, courtesy of a Chris Wood header.

Tottenham pulled level ten minutes later, though, when Harry Kane latched onto Danny Rose’s long throw-in to slot home underneath the advancing Tom Heaton.

However, on the back of a stout defensive showing, Burnley went on to grab a winner ten minutes from time, when Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson’s scuffed strike was smashed home at the back-post by the arriving Ashley Barnes.

Poch vs Dean

Tottenham’s surprise defeat, however, proved only half of the story at Turf Moor.

The result was heavily-impacted by the decision-making of the officials on Saturday, with the first two goals at Turf Moor having sparked angry reactions from the respective managers.

Spurs’ boss Pochettino was particularly-incensed, with the frustrations of the Argentine tactician having boiled over following the full-time whistle.

After confronting referee Mike Dean on the pitch to make his unhappiness clear, Pochettino turned away to head towards the tunnel.

However, after one of the officials, seemingly Dean himself, appeared to say something back to the 46-year-old while his back was turned, both Pochettino and assistant Jesus Perez furiously returned, sparking a heated exchange:

Pochettino sanctioned

And, as confirmed in an official FA statement a short time ago, the Tottenham boss’ actions have this evening seen him hit with an improper conduct charge:

‘Mauricio Pochettino has been charged with two breaches of FA Rule E3 following the game against Burnley on Saturday [23 February 2019].’
 
‘It is alleged the Tottenham Hotspur manager’s language and/or behaviour at the end of the fixture – both on the pitch and in or around the tunnel area – amounted to improper conduct.’

‘He has until 18:00 on 28 February 2019 to respond to the charge.’

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