The Football Association (FA) has fined Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa £125,000 each following a fiery post-match brawl at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The incident occurred after their FA Cup third-round clash earlier this month.
Tempers flared at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after Spurs’ exit from the FA Cup. Players and staff from both sides were involved in an intense on-pitch altercation moments after the final whistle.
The flashpoint came when Spurs midfielder João Palhinha shoved Ollie Watkins, who had celebrated Villa’s victory in front of travelling supporters. This led to immediate intervention by Villa players Morgan Rogers and Lamare Bogarde before more players and staff rushed onto the pitch to defuse the situation.
Regulatory commission sanctions both clubs
In a statement released by the FA, it was confirmed that an independent Regulatory Commission had sanctioned both clubs for failing to control their players and officials.
FA released statement:
“It was alleged that both clubs failed to ensure their players and/or officials did not behave in an improper or provocative way after the final whistle."
Both clubs were charged earlier this month with identical fines as they accepted responsibility for failing to control their respective teams' behaviour during this heated confrontation.
Despite this controversy, there have been contrasting fortunes for both teams in recent times. For Thomas's team - Spurs - they are currently languishing in 14th place in Premier League standings. However, there was some respite midweek as they secured direct qualification into Champions League last 16 with a 2-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt.
On contrastingly positive note, Villa continues to thrive under the leadership of Unai Emery. The Midlands club currently sits third in the Premier League, level on points with second-placed Manchester City and just four behind leaders Arsenal. While this incident has certainly cast a shadow over both clubs' reputations, it is clear that they are keen to move forward and focus on their respective campaigns. As the season progresses, fans will be hoping for more sportsmanship from their teams and less controversy off the pitch.
