Tottenham Hotspur head coach Mauricio Pochettino has been slapped with a misconduct charge by the FA following Saturday's frenzy involving referee Mike Dean. The Argentine manager was seen in a prolonged heated exchange with the match official after his side fell to a surprise 2-1 defeat at Burnley.
Spurs' hopes of potentially challenging for the league title were dashed following the defeat, a situation which Pochettino believes would not have been so had Mike Dean got some calls right. Primarily, the former Southampton manager's frustrations are said to have been generated from an arguable corner-kick decision which resulted in Chris Wood's opening goal for the Clarets.
Wow!
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 23, 2019
Fair to say Mauricio Pochettino is not happy with referee Mike Dean after his side's loss at Turf Moor!
Reaction in our live blog: https://t.co/8ntnbWB8dh pic.twitter.com/boXTN2od8f
"Sometimes some things happen on the pitch and I'll keep it on the pitch," Pochettino told talkSPORT after the match.
"I said earlier in the week that this would be a difficult game for us – and when you lose the emotions are there.
"But if we need to blame someone, it's ourselves. First the manager and then the team and everyone."
However, on Monday, the FA released a statement in response to Saturday's development condemning the Mauricio Pochettino's actions. The statement reads as follows:"Mauricio Pochettino has been charged with two breaches of FA Rule E3 following the game against Burnley on Saturday.
"It is alleged the Tottenham manager's language and/or behavior at the end of the fixture – both on the pitch and in or around the tunnel area – amounted to improper conduct.
"He has until 6 pm on February 28, 2019, to respond to the charge."
In a related development, Mike Dean has been removed from his post as the fourth official for the upcoming midweek's Premier League encounter between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur. According to talkSPORT, the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) made the decision to avoid another altercation between the referee and Spurs' technical team.
Instead, the 50-year-old referee will be on duty in the Manchester City vs West Ham match while Kevin Friend assumes his position as the fourth official for Chelsea-Spurs clash.