Wolverhampton Wanderers boss Vitor Pereira has been fined 15,000 pounds ($20,131) after losing his cool and booting a spare match ball at the dugout during their 1-1 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion earlier this month.
The Portuguese coach was shown a red card for the bizarre incident around the 19th minute when he kicked the ball into the match manager’s dugout in frustration after his team were denied what he felt was a clear free kick.
The Football Association (FA) said the match manager had to take evasive action while the ball struck the Sky Sports floor manager, prompting Pereira to rush over and apologise not once, but twice.
“It was alleged that the manager acted in an improper manner around the 19th minute, which led to his dismissal, and he subsequently admitted the charge,” the FA said in a statement on Friday.
Assistant manager Luis Miguel later apologised on Pereira’s behalf, saying: “The ball was there, he kicked the ball, sometimes you kick a bottle of water or something. We lost our minds. I’m sorry.”
Pereira eventually issued a public apology at his next press conference nearly two weeks later.
“I know football is emotional, and I’m an emotional guy,” he said. “But my behaviour was not proper. I kicked a ball and it cannot happen again. I apologise.”
($1 = 0.7451 pounds)
