Leeds United manager Daniel Farke has accepted he will serve a touchline ban at Bramall Lane on Monday night but was not pleased with the circumstances which arose leading to his third yellow card of the season.
Farke’s third caution of the 2024/25 Championship campaign will see the Whites boss situated in the stands at Sheffield United on Monday, per FA rules.
“It’s a fact that the yellow card stands, and I have to accept it. Yeah, the rules are like this, and it is what it is. And I have to adapt to this. I was after we scored late winner, whatever, a few yards outside my coaching zone, and was outside for whatever six or seven seconds before I went back in. If someone then thinks I deserve a yellow card for this celebration, I have to accept the rules.”
The German was booked during the final stages of Leeds’ 2-1 comeback victory over Sunderland earlier this week, having left his technical area and entered the field of play whilst celebrating Pascal Struijk’s late winner.
Whilst Farke’s punishment on the night was to the letter of the law, the Leeds boss questioned the consistency at which rules pertaining to managers and their technical areas are applied. Farke made specific reference to the ruling which came into force at the beginning of the season which limits one member of coaching staff to be stood up inside a manager’s technical area at any time during a match, however, that rule is not so strictly enforced.
“I overstepped the rules because I was outside my coaching zone for six seconds.
“I’m in professional management 17 years, and I think it was overall, my sixth yellow card.
“If you think once, a player, for example, should be disallowed to attend a game, or is suspended, or whatever, it’s always like, either for a nasty over-aggressive tackle, when you [risk injuring] someone, this is when you should be suspended. Or if you’re there with trying to create a tactical advantage by a tactical foul, for example, to avoid a big chance. If it makes sense to to punish someone for celebrations, it’s a bit difficult there, because I wasn’t over-aggressive, I didn’t [risk injuring] someone. And also, it was not a tactical advantage just because I was celebrating.”
Farke was swept off his feet as Struijk headed Leeds in front, before celebrating in a huddle with some of the Leeds substitutes. He then returned to his technical area but the infraction was brought to the attention of referee Stuart Attwell who subsequently brandished the yellow card.
Farke’s opposite number on Monday night, Chris Wilder, has branded the decision ‘ridiculous’ and urged officiating body PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Ltd) not to ‘lose sight’ of the bigger picture by curbing and punishing emotion in the game.
‘Six seconds’ – Daniel Farke bristles over Leeds United punishment as manager makes stopwatch argument
