A soccer manager is going viral after a staggering attack on his own player.
Spanish coach Pep Clotet has caused outrage after a moment of madness during his Triestina team’s Friday night clash.
The club plays in the Italian third division, Serie C, but the team was the most talked about club in the country after Clotet’s tirade turned violent in front of the TV cameras.
The 47-year-old manager has particularly made headlines in the UK where he is well known for a reputation as a hothead during his stints managing English clubs Oxford and Birmingham.
Clotet’s tirade has got fans around the world shaking their heads after he grabbed and shoved his own player — Latvian Raimonds Krollis — after the forward received a straight red card for an ugly challenge.
The incident happened in the 33rd minute of the team’s clash with Giana Erminio.
As the Latvian trudged off the pitch, Clotet caught his attention, The Sun reports.
Instead of heading straight down the tunnel, Krollis walked towards his manager.
At this point, an enraged Clotet grabbed the forward by the collar of his shirt and began to shake him.
Krollis, 23, appeared dejected and did not try to free himself from his manager’s astonishing outburst.
Triestina had to play with ten men for around an hour.
And Clotet’s mood won’t have been helped by how the game ended.
Just three minutes from time, Giana Erminio grabbed a late winner via Gabriel Avinci.
The result leaves Triestina rooted to the bottom of the table with just six points from 14 games.
Since taking over on October 21, Clotet has amassed two points from four games.
Triestina has not won since beating Arzignano all the way back on August 24.
In a staggering twist, it is Krollis, rather than Clotet, that has an uncertain future.
Clotet effectively sacked Krollis on the spot when telling press after the game the Latvian will never play for the team again while he is in charge.
Krollis had not scored or registered a goal assist since Clotet took over just three weeks ago.
There have been no immediate reports to suggest the manager’s job is in jeopardy.
Bizarrely, Clotet said he stands by his actions.
“Krollis is done with Triestina as long as I am the coach,” he told reporters in a statement roughly translated into English.
“My gesture was right for what happened. What Krollis did is unacceptable. It damages Triestina, the club he represents and soccer 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.
“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. We lack understanding of situations. Sometimes we risk needlessly. The commitment was there. We defended well even if we conceded an avoidable goal for a lost ball that we should have managed better.”
It’s fair to say fans around the world have been staggered by the situation.
One fan posted on Twitter: “Footballers are not slaves. No excuses here for Triestina coach Pep Clotet”.
“This is sad to see. Triestina manager Pep Clotet has been with the team for only three weeks,” one fan wrote.
One fan wrote Clotet had gone “ballistic” while another suggested Clotet had “completely lost his head”.
One video of the incident has more than 1.2 million views on Twitter.
