Lampard criticised as Southampton and Coventry fined

Southampton and Coventry City have been fined following a melee at the end of their Championship game in December, with the behaviour of Sky Blues boss Frank Lampard deemed "the catalyst" for the incident.

An independent Regulatory Commission concluded that Lampard's goading of supporters had sparked the confrontation inside the centre circle at St Mary's.

A number of players and coaching staff were involved in pushing each other after the game ended in a 1-1 draw.

In written evidence, Southampton's Leo Scienza said Lampard had been "doing some signals and throwing his arms against our fans".

And team-mate Taylor Harwood-Bellis said he had told the Coventry boss "you are better than that", to which he responded: "You're a young lad - show me some respect."

No written or oral responses were provided to the charge by Coventry.

Both clubs accepted a charge of failing to ensure "players and/or technical area staff did not behave in improper and/or provocative way after the final whistle".

Southampton were fined £22,500 and Coventry £30,000.

A report on the case said: "It [the Commission] considered the behaviour of FL, both in goading the fans and in interacting with THB to have been unacceptable and the catalyst for what followed, albeit that it did not excuse the behaviour of others."

It also concluded that Coventry's history of three similar incidents in a game against Sheffield United in 2024 and two under-23 matches was an "aggravating factor".