THOMAS Tuchel was “quite clearly” responsible for his touchline tear-up with Antonio Conte.
And Tuchel deserved his looming one match ban because he was “significantly more culpable” than the spurs boss, according to the FA disciplinary panel which heard both cases.
Tuchel’s appeal against his suspension and £35,000 fine will be heard before Saturday’s Prem game with Leicester, while Conte accepted his £10,000 punishment.
But in their written reasons, the panel, headed by former England and Blackburn winger Stuart Ripley, made it clear they felt the Chelsea chief was the more guilty party when the post-match handshake sparked a melee involving players and staff.
Ref Anthony Taylor said he had shown red cards to both men because the “prolonged physical contact” led to “an aggressive confrontation” and then a “further mass confrontation”.
Both managers accepted the charges and apologised, with Conte telling the FA beaks he was “both surprised and unhappy” that Tuchel’s handshake “caused me to be pulled back with such physical force”.
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Tuchel, in turn, blamed Conte for not looking at him as their hands met.
He said: “I considered his demeanour to be a sign of disrespect towards me.
“I therefore held on to his hand as he walked past me and told him to look me in the eyes when he shakes my hand.”
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But the FA panel dismissed Tuchel’s arguments, agreeing that “It was quite clearly Thomas Tuchel who instigated the confrontation by choosing to grip Antonio Conte’s hand and jolt him back.
“Tuchel gripping Conte’s hand for the reason he gave was simply not justifiable; there exists no obligation for one person to look the other in the eye whilst shaking hands.
“Telling Conte to look him in the eyes whilst gripping his hand and not allowing him to move away was a highly provocative act.
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“Conte did react aggressively to Tuchel’s actions but the Commission did not consider him to have hugely over-reacted given the circumstances.
“The confrontation caused a mass gathering of staff, players and stewards that could easily have escalated the situation and was likely to have increased tensions between the two sets of spectators.
“But whilst certain aspects of Conte’s behaviour could be considered as being improper, the Commission considered Tuchel to be largely culpable for the incident and unanimously felt that this ought to be clearly and definitively reflected in the level of sanction imposed.”
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