Vincent Kompany says Brighton touchline ban 'will annoy me' but reignites old feud

Burnley head coach Vincent Kompany described the punishment as “fair enough” after he was handed a touchline suspension following his red card against Chelsea last month.

The 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge on March 30 saw Kompany dismissed from the dugout by referee Darren England over his protests when the hosts were awarded a penalty and Clarets defender Lorenz Assignon was sent off.

On Thursday, the Football Association announced the Belgian had been given a two-game ban, with one match to be served immediately and the other suspended until the end of the year, and fined £10,000.

Speaking soon after at his press conference ahead of Saturday’s home clash with Brighton, Kompany said of the punishment: “Fair enough.

“I totally acknowledge that what I said in the moment did absolutely not reflect what I thought about the official, in terms of questioning the integrity of someone. I think that’s too harsh and it’s not what I meant, so fair enough.

“The two are separate issues. I can have a complaint about the level of refereeing, I think that’s a fair complaint, but in the moment the emotions got the better of me.

“It’s fair, it’s unfortunate as well because I want to be there for the team, and in that sense it’s probably something that on the day will annoy me.

“It’s a game of emotions, but at the same time I think the most important part is to just be able to recognise if you’ve made a mistake and then move on.

“It’s unpleasant (that he will not be on the touchline on Saturday) but I have full trust in the staff I have with me, and in the players and their ability to rise up to the challenge. Ultimately on match day, the most important people are the players.”

Kompany’s relegation-threatened side are currently second-bottom of the Premier League, six points adrift of safety with six games to go.