Watch these two Championship coaches start a brawl and see red cards for it
When Michael Hefele of Huddersfield Town scored a last-minute game-winner over Leeds United, that should've been the definitive highlight of a thriller in the Championship on Sunday.
Instead, it was only the beginning of the match going off the rails.
As soon as a lucky deflection put Hefele's ball in the back of the net for a 2-1 score in the 89th minute, Huddersfield coach David Wagner ran the length of the pitch to get in on the goal celebration:
https://twitter.com/BallStreet/status/828240185007669249?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Garry Monk, the manager of Leeds, did not appreciate Wagner's behavior – and he made sure the opposing coach knew it.
As Wagner returned to the technical area, a seething Monk stepped in his way. That's when all hell broke loose:
https://twitter.com/DHuncle/status/828240216964100096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Monk and Wagner earned red cards for their role in the scuffle. Two players – Elias Kachunga of Huddersfield and Pontus Jansson of Leeds – also saw yellow cards for joining in the brawl.
It didn't quite end there though, as Monk used the post-match press conference to let everyone know exactly why he was upset with Wagner.
“I can only speak for myself but my world and the world I was brought up in, you have to show humility and respect and a little bit of class,” Monk said, according to The Guardian. “When I don’t see that, I take it upon myself to put that right. I hold those values dear, I live by my values and I expect my players to uphold those values too. If someone else doesn’t show that, it doesn’t mean you have to accept it.”
Wagner, of course, saw it differently. Though he did vow to be more mindful of what might upset fellow managers in the future, he explained that he has come up in a different soccer culture where what he did shouldn't have been viewed as disrespectful.
"I have a different opinion,” he said after the match. “This is because I grew up in a different football culture. In Germany it is not disrespectful if you celebrate with your players. But I am in England and I have to respect British football culture. What, for me, is disrespectful in Germany and in England as well is if you try to battle the other manager. This is a lack of respect."
Whew. This chapter of the saga is over, and Wagner can be satisfied with his club's 2-1 win, but one thing is for sure: The next Leeds vs. Huddersfield match will be one to watch.
