Tottenham Hotspur have been charged with misconduct by the Football Association following a chaotic end to their 2-1 FA Cup defeat against Aston Villa.
The visitors were also charged by the FA as the governing body claimed that both clubs failed to ensure their players and staff behaved properly after the final whistle at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Tottenham have until January 16 to respond to the charge, but they’ll likely be slapped with a hefty fine for the ugly scenes on their turf.
Spurs were eliminated from the competition at the first hurdle, courtesy of first-half goals from Emiliano Buendia and Morgan Rogers.
Thomas Frank’s side fought back in the second half and pulled one back through Wilson Odobert nearly ten minutes after the restart.
However, Tottenham failed to land an equaliser, with Villa claiming a 2-1 victory that dumped their London counterparts out of the competition in the third round.
Frustration boiled over after the full-time whistle, sparking a mass brawl involving players and staff from both teams, with stewards struggling to get a grip on the situation.
The post-match drama started with Ollie Watkins celebrating in front of the away fans, which didn’t sit well with Tottenham midfielder Joao Palhinha.
He believed that the celebration was aimed at provoking the home fans, leading him to push Watkins.
Villa duo Rogers and Lamare Bogarde were first on the scene, and within seconds, the situation escalated as bodies from both benches poured onto the pitch.
Ugly brawl sums up Tottenham’s woeful campaign
Tottenham fans have hardly had much to cheer about this season. The Lilywhites sit 14th in the Premier League table after winning just seven out of their 21 games so far.
They have become the Premier League’s whipping boys, going into the FA Cup clash on the back of one win from six league games (D2, L3).
The defeat against Villa extended their winless streak to four games on the spin across all competitions (D2, L2), leading Tottenham fans to call for Frank’s sack.
Tottenham plan to back Frank during the winter transfer window.
However, if results don’t improve in the coming weeks, the Danish manager could become the latest Premier League head coach to be sent packing this season.