Mauricio Pochettino says he took Chelsea players and staff for dinner after his ban for Newcastle game
Mauricio Pochettino has set up a new rule at Chelsea for his players and for himself when they receive a yellow or red card or a ban for the following games.
The Argentine manager claimed his punishment was paying for dinner given the former Southampton head coach has been banned from the touchline for the Chelsea vs. Newcastle United game.
This comes after Pochettino barged towards referees in a 4-4 draw with Manchester City. The former Paris Saint-Germain was already cautioned against Brighton and Burnley.
Pochettino took his staff and players to dinner before the Newcastle game as an apology for his ban. This method will be implemented for others as well to avoid facing bans from referees.
The 51-year-old later revealed what he did after he handed in a suspension for the Newcastle game. After he fined Nicolas Jackson for getting suspended by sending the striker on a lengthy cross-country run, (h/t Sun), he said:
“He knows why he had to run. And for me, I am going to pay for dinner. I am going to pay for dinner because I got suspended now and I cannot run. I would prefer to pay. I am taking the players and the staff. It will be a lot.”
The is a fair punishment for players and Pochettino himself if they receive a ban for games through cards or arguing with referees. These events are inevitable and beyond our control since they always occur when officials make bad calls that negatively impact our game. Managers and players would remember to play carefully and refrain from taking up cards during games. In the heat of the moment, it makes sense for players to be registered for tackles or arguments.
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Obviously, players will be careful and won’t take risks but we cannot control them. Pochettino punishment for this is reasonable and hopefully, players are fine with such sanctions if they carelessly receive yellow or red cards.