Ex-Swansea City and Leeds United coach grabs own player in extraordinary bust-up

Former Swansea City and Leeds United coach Pep Clotet has defended his actions after he was seen aggressively pushing one of his own players following a red card in a match on Friday.

Clotet, who also managed Birmingham City between 2019 and 2020 and had a stint at Oxford United, has since had three spells at Brescia and a period at Torpedo Moscow after leaving St Andrew's.

The 47-year-old took over at Triestina last month, a team currently struggling at the bottom of Italy's Serie C. They were hosting mid-table side Giana Erminio but suffered another loss, their ninth in 14 matches this season.

Triestina's hopes of securing a much-needed victory were dashed just 33 minutes into the game when striker Raimonds Krollis was sent off with a straight red card, an action that clearly upset Clotet.

As Krollis headed for the tunnel, Clotet seemed to beckon him over before grabbing the Latvian player by his collar in a fit of anger. The coach then began to shake his stunned striker and pulled him back towards the tunnel, with Krollis making no attempt to escape Clotet's grip, reports the Mirror.

Down to 10 men for over an hour, Triestina looked set to secure a draw until Giana Erminio scored a late winner in the 87th minute through Gabriel Avinci.

This latest defeat leaves Triestina firmly at the bottom of the league table, seven points from safety, with Clotet having gained only two points from his four games in charge. Despite this, the Spanish manager showed no remorse for his behaviour towards Krollis.

The striker, according to him, fully merited both the penalty and the outburst. Furthermore, Clotet disclosed that Krollis' actions have effectively ended his time at Triestina.

"I think, regarding the incident with the red card, the reaction was justified; that sending off should never happen in football. Krollis is here on loan, representing another club that sent him here," Clotet said, as reported by Triestina's official website.

"He does this to Triestina, to the club that entrusted him to us, and to the game itself unacceptable.

"It's not normal, and we must not accept it in any way. I told him exactly this face to face; with me as coach, he's done with Triestina from today. The red card was a hard blow. I have no complaints about the players who gave their all to hold the draw.

"We responded well to the numerical disadvantage, but getting out of the situation we're in is challenging with this kind of error - we need to stay more focused. The mindset isn't right; we have to understand what Serie C football is, managing key moments of the game, and this is an individual responsibility."

Clotet was with Swansea for two years and was a close associate of former manager Garry Monk, following him to Leeds and later Birmingham before the two had a very public falling out.