Brighton and Hove Albion will be without forward Joao Pedro at Chelsea on Saturday — but head coach Fabian Hurzeler will be in the technical area after escaping a touchline ban.
Joao Pedro, 23, suffered ankle damage in a tackle by Morgan Gibbs-White which prompted the dismissal of the Nottingham Forest midfielder for a second yellow card in Sunday’s 2-2 draw at the Amex Stadium.
Hurzeler, 31, and Forest head coach Nuno Espirito Santo were both shown red cards by referee Rob Jones in the aftermath of the red card for Gibbs-White in the second half.
The Brighton boss, speaking on Thursday morning at his press conference for the Chelsea game about the situation with Joao Pedro, said: “It was a hard tackle and Joao Pedro had some problems after the game.
“He still has some problems. We have to go week to week with him, but I don’t think he will be an option for the weekend. I am not sure how long he will be out.
“It’s a little bit of an issue with his ankle. When you see this tackle, his ankle was fixed and it twisted a little bit. That is the thing that caused the issue and the most pain, the twisting of the ankle. Joao Pedro is a fast healer. We had a small issue with him in pre-season and we expected him to be out longer, but he came back really quickly. I hope that will be the same case now.”
Hurzeler was charged by the FA on Wednesday with “acting in an improper manner” during the incident. He has clarified the position after talks with Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL) chief Howard Webb.
Hurzeler said: “I didn’t know what I got the red card for. I talked to Howard Webb, because in the end I heard I got the red card for stepping on the pitch. If you give a red card for this, I think you have to ban a lot of coaches, because it happens in an emotional phase of the game.
“Of course, we are role models, but sometimes you should bring out your emotions. In this case, it was just to protect Joao Pedro. If I didn’t show emotion there, the player would think ‘this coach isn’t interested in me’.
“Howard Webb was very open. he listened to me and gave a clear explanation of the situation, how the referee saw the scene, how the fourth official (Anthony Taylor) saw the scene. It’s very important to have a good discussion, a clear discussion.”
Hurzeler has until Friday to respond to his FA charge. He added: “I know what the fine will be and I also know that I will be on the sideline (touchline) against Chelsea. I think that is the most positive thing, that I can support my team, help my team.
“I also have to learn from this situation, how fast you can get a red card in this league. Of course, we will accept the fine.”
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