3 days Ago By Poppy Treadaway
Former Birmingham City manager Pep Clotet made the headlines after aggressively grabbing and shaking one of his players during a Serie C match on Friday. The player, Raimonds Krollis, was sent off with a straight red card for lashing out at an opponent during Triestina's 1-0 defeat at home to Giana Erminio. The Spanish boss is now in charge of Italian Serie C side Triestina after being appointed for the job less than a month ago.
Krollis, the Latvian forward, was shown a straight red card just 34 minutes into the match, leaving his struggling Serie C side - who are currently at the bottom of the table - to play the majority of the game with 10 players. As he walked off the pitch, his manager Clotet grabbed him by the collar of his shirt before shaking him aggressively in a flurry of rage. Speaking after the game, the Spanish boss insisted he was right to behave in that way and added that Krollis would never play under him again 'as long as I'm the coach'.
"My gesture was right for what happened," Clotet said. "What Krollis did is unacceptable. It damages Triestina, the club he represents and football in general.
"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 added. "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." The clip was quick to go viral on social media as many criticised the manager's behaviour. Clotet, 47, has had a long managerial career, taking up stints at Espanyol 's youth team before moving to Oxford United in 2017 and Birmingham City two years later.
At Birmingham City he famously gave Jude Bellingham a senior debut at the age of 16. He took charge of 47 games in the Midlands. His side Triestina travel to Lombary to face third-placed Feralpisalo next weekend.
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