Sheffield Wednesday: Owls chief Carlos Carvalhal hit by FA charge

Owls head coach Carlos Carvalhal has been charged with improper conduct by the Football Association after he was sent to the stands in their defeat at Aston Villa.

The Portuguese chief was banished from the dugout by referee Lee Probart after reacting angrily to Vincent Sasso being shown a straight red card for a tackle on Conor Hourihane last weekend.

Carvalhal, whose side will drop out of the play-offs if Fulham beat Blackburn Rovers tonight, was left fuming over the decision in Saturday’s encounter. However, his protests fell on deaf ears and he was sent to the stands for leaving his technical area.

A FA statement read: “Sheffield Wednesday manager Carlos Carvalhal has been charged following the game against Aston Villa on Saturday (March 11, 2017).

“It is alleged that in or around the 48th minute of the fixture, his behaviour amounted to improper conduct, contrary to FA Rule E3.”

Carvalhal, who refused to comment on Probert’s call to dismiss Sasso, has until 6pm on Thursday to respond.

Wednesday legend David Hirst believes Sasso’s tackle warranted a red card.

“The one fortunate thing about that is he didn’t actually catch the kid seriously,” said Hirst. “It was a terrible lunge.

“It was a straight red without a doubt.”

Jonathan Kodjia’s brace either side of the interval ensured the Owls left Villa Park empty-handed.