Phil SumblerIt was interesting to see both managers play down the melee involving Alan Tate at half time when asked about the incident after the game especially when you factor in that Tate had taken his seat for the second half clearly indicating that the referee was going to take no action.
Whether there is retrospective action remains to be seen following the brief scuffle at half time that saw Jon Toral fall to the ground after a clear altercation with the Swans coach. The TV pictures clearly showed Toral saying something to Tate before it all boiled over and you wonder if this was something that had been brewing for parts of the first half as it certainly seemed to escalate quickly.
As quick though as it escalated it had calmed back down again with Tate being led down the tunnel by other members of the Swans bench and squad whilst his appearance in the second half clearly said that the officials were not going to take any further action in the game at least.
When asked about the incident after the game both managers were at pains to point out they hadn’t seen the incident
I didn’t see it… clearly. It certainly didn’t carry on down the tunnel because I went down there. Afterwards, it was fine – no dramas
I haven’t spoken to Alan. I was more interested in the game. – Steve Cooper
His view was echoed by his opposite number
I didn’t see anything because I was in the tunnel.
The only thing I told them at half-time was to forget what happened. I don’t care about what happened in the tunnel – the players showed their spirit on the pitch. – Aitor Karanka
It is reasonably clear after the 0-0 draw that this was one of the talking points of the game and of course there were the sensationalist headlines of the Sun creating “Chokeslam” which itself is as laughable as the incident itself and we shouldn’t lose complete sight of the spectacular falling to the ground of Toral no matter what the wrongs of the situation in the first place.
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— Birmingham City FC (@BCFC) September 19, 2020
