Ancelotti escapes FA ban after angry confrontation with referee

Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti has avoided a touchline ban from the Football Association (FA) for angrily remonstrating with a referee on the pitch following the 1-1 draw with Manchester United.

Chris Kavanagh sent Ancelotti off for his protestations at full-time on Sunday, with the Italian livid that Dominic Calvert-Lewin had seen a would-be winner ruled out after a VAR review because Gylfi Sigurdsson was adjudged to be offside.

Sigurdsson had been lying on the floor and had lifted his legs to allow Calvert-Lewin's deflected shot to go past him and into the net, with United goalkeeper David de Gea believing he was unsighted by the Iceland midfielder.

The FA fined Ancelotti £8,000 after he conceded "his language and/or behaviour on the field of play at the end of the fixture amounted to improper conduct and also accepted the standard penalty".

Speaking after the game, Ancelotti insisted he had not been disrespectful towards Kavanagh.

"I asked for an explanation after the game. There was a misunderstanding on the pitch and he sent me off," Ancelotti said.

"After that I spoke with him calmly in the dressing room. I want to keep our conversation private and now he will make a report for the FA and we will see.

March 5, 2020

"I didn't disrespect him, but I can understand because, for the referee, there were a lot of important decisions at the end of the game. But I didn't disrespect him.

"It was a difficult decision because they checked the position of Gylfi, and it was offside, but in our opinion it didn't affect the vision of the goalkeeper. In their opinion it affected the vision and movement of the goalkeeper."

The 60-year-old has escaped a more severe punishment, meaning he will be able to take his place in the dugout against former club Chelsea on Sunday.

Ancelotti spent two seasons at Stamford Bridge between 2009 and 2011, winning a Premier League and FA Cup double in his first campaign.