'My gesture was right': Serie C manager attacks own player after red card
The manager for Serie C club Triestina in Italy, has come under fire for attacking his own player following a red card.
In a video that has already amassed over a million views on social media, Spanish coach Pep Clotet, who has a reputation for being a hot head following previous stints in England, stunned all in front of the TV cameras.
When Latvian Raimonds Krollis received a straight red card for a dangerous challenge in the 33rd minute, Clotet got his attention as Krollis was walking towards the tunnel.
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The striker turned and walked up the sideline towards the enraged manager, who then grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and shook him for a number of seconds.
A dejected Krollis did not fight back or try to free himself of his manager's grasp amid the outburst as his teammates had to play a man short for around an hour.
Pep Clotet put his hands on the player. X
Making matters worse his team copped a late goal three minutes from time to go down to Giana Erminio, anchoring Triestina to the bottom of the table with just six points from 14 games.
Since taking over on October 21, Clotet has amassed two points from four games.
Speaking to the media after the match, the manager declared Krollis will never play for the team "as long as I am the coach."
"My gesture was right for what happened. What Krollis did is unacceptable. It damages Triestina, the club he represents and football in general," Clotet said.
"Giana Erminio surprised us with their tactical attitude, but we managed to recover and get into the game until the expulsion.
"Obviously, they then managed the game, but we, in numerical inferiority, fought and tried until the end.
He then said Krollis would never play for him again. X
"We need to develop a more careful mentality. We need to know how to manage the crucial moments of the games, and this is an individual aspect.
"We lack understanding of situations. Sometimes we risk needlessly. The commitment was there.
"We defended well even if we conceded an avoidable goal for a lost ball that we should have managed better."
Fans on social media took aim at the manager for his handling of the situation, scolding him for putting his hands on Krollis.
The 47-year-old manager made headlines during his stints managing English clubs Oxford and Birmingham.
The gig in Italy is his sixth in four years
Clotet blooded a 16-year-old Jude Bellingham for Birmingham City in 2019 in the Championship during his only season in charge.
