Furious ex-Birmingham City manager grabs and shakes his own player after red card

Former Birmingham City manager Pep Clotet has made headlines in Italy after laying his hands on a player from his own team, who had just been sent off. Furious Clotet witnessed Raimonds Krollis of Triestina - the Serie C side who Clotet now manages - receive his marching orders and confronted him on his way off the pitch.

The Spaniard has only recently been appointed by Triestina, who are rock bottom of Italy's third tier having won just once in the first 14 matches of the new season and who lost 1-0 at home to Giana Erminio on Friday night.

Krollis was given a straight red after he himself lost his cool with an opposing player and he was dismissed for his actions. Clotet made for Krollis as he headed for the tunnel, before he was summoned by his manager, and began to vigorously shake him having grabbed him by the collar. Clotet defended his own actions.

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"My gesture was right for what happened. What Krollis did is unacceptable," Clotet said. "It damages Triestina, the club he represents and football 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, but the commitment was there. We defended well even if we conceded an avoidable goal for a lost ball that we should have managed better."

Clotet arrived at Blues as Garry Monk's assistant after a spell in charge at Oxford United, back in March 2018. He then replaced Monk following his departure in the summer of 2019 before he himself left the club towards the end of Project Restart in the summer of 2020.

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