FA fine Chelsea boss Conte £8,000 for Swansea dismissal
Conte was asked to leave the dugout by referee Neil Swarbrick after a prolonged remonstration with fourth official Lee Mason with regards to perceived time-wasting by Paul Clement's struggling Swansea.
The former Juventus and Italy boss apologised immediately after the match, in which Antonio Rudiger headed the decisive goal, saying he expected to be fined and that he would leave complaining to the match officials in the hands of his players from now on.
"I think it's right to accept [the misconduct charge] and to pay the fine," he told a news conference ahead of the weekend victory over Newcastle United.
"As I said after the game, if the referee took this decision I have to respect it. I want to respect his decision and pay the fine.
"They were wasting time and I think the referee has to protect the team that wants to win and play football. I was angry because, despite it happening twice, I said to the fourth official 'look, they are wasting time'.
"In the future I will tell my players on the pitch to try to tell the referee. I'll try to avoid suggesting things to the fourth official."
Premier League champions Chelsea lie third in the table and travel to West Ham on Saturday.
Antonio Conte has been fined after accepting an FA misconduct charge. Full statement: https://t.co/rXUUdTb4b1 pic.twitter.com/tVc7S2BY4t
— FA Spokesperson (@FAspokesperson) December 6, 2017