FA charge Thomas Tuchel with improper conduct after Chelsea's draw vs Spurs

Thomas Tuchel has been charged by the FA following comments made regarding Anthony Taylor and Mike Dean after Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur.

The head coach believes that neither of Antonio Conte’s side’s goals should have counted.

In the build-up to the first, Kai Havertz appeared to be fouled before Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg converted from outside the box, with Richarlison appearing to impede Edouard Mendy’s view as he was standing in an offside position.

However, Taylor did not award a foul and Dean, who was on VAR duties, did not see a reason to give an offside against Richarlison.

This was not the most controversial moment of the match, with the Spurs equaliser coming as a shock to Tuchel.

Marc Cucurella was dragged to the floor by his hair by Cristian Romero, but Dean did not intervene to dismiss the Argentinian.

Instead, play continued and Spurs netted a last minute equaliser from the resulting corner.

Speaking after the match, Tuchel said: “But honestly, we also have VAR to help make the right decision. Since when can players be pulled by hair? Since when is that (not a foul)?

“If he does not see it, I do not blame him. I didn’t see it. But we have people at VAR who check this. Then you see it and how can this not be a free-kick and a red card?”

Since, Dean has written a column for The Daily Mail, admitting that he made a mistake with the decision.

“I could not award a free-kick as VAR, but I could recommend to Taylor that he visit the referee review area to consider a possible red card. In the few seconds I had to study Romero pulling Cucurella’s hair, I didn't deem it a violent act,” he wrote. 

“I’ve since studied the footage, spoken to other referees and, upon reflection, I should have asked Taylor to visit his pitch-side monitor to take a look for himself.”

Following the admission, Tuchel admitted that he is struggling to accept the apology.

“Hopefully I am not too honest but if a mistake is that big and obvious, what’s the point in not admitting for the whole season?” he said. 

“I struggle a little bit to be fully impressed by the statement I have to say. It’s so clear and obvious, I cannot understand how a referee cannot make the decision that was the right decision.”

And now, the Chelsea boss has been charged for his comments regarding the officials.

In a statement, the Football Association wrote: “Thomas Tuchel has been charged with a breach of FA Rule E3 in relation to comments that he made after Chelsea FC’S Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur FC on Sunday 14 August 2022. It is alleged that the manager’s comments in his post-match press conference constitute improper conduct as contrary to FA Rule E3.1 they imply bias and/or question the integrity of the match referee and/or bring the game into disrepute. 

“Thomas Tuchel has until Thursday 25 August 2022 to provide a response to this charge.”

It remains to be seen as to what the response from Tuchel will be, who most recently explained his comments.

He said: "I was asked several times about it (Taylor's performance) and this was my answer. I think it is more than just a feeling. There are some statistics that underline that we struggle to get the same results with him refereeing."