Frank Lampard in furious touchline bust-up as Chelsea icon separated from rival boss
Chelsea legend Frank Lampard has been engaged in a furious row with Portsmouth boss John Mousinho as Lampard's Coventry City look to continue their fine start to the season
Coventry City boss Frank Lampard was involved in a furious touchline row with his Portsmouth counterpart John Mousinho on Tuesday night. Lampard is currently going great guns with the Sky Blues who sit top of the Championship table.
The former Chelsea midfielder arrived at Coventry in November 2024 - succeeding the hugely popular Mark Robins. Lampard faced an uphill battle early on in his time at the club, with unrest among the fans over the decision to sack Robins, who had led the club to the play-off final and FA Cup semi-final over the previous two years.
But the 47-year-old will have won many supporters over with Coventry's excellent start to the 2024/25 campaign. His passion on the touchline will no doubt win approval from the club's fanbase after he was filmed arguing with Mousinho during Tuesday's clash at Fratton Park.
The incident occurred midway through the first half in Portsmouth when the two bosses appeared to disagree after Pompey insisted they should have been awarded a penalty. Referee Gavin Ward did not point to the spot and the score remained 0-0 on the south coast.
The two managers continued discussing the incident, and they were spotted arguing. Mousinho appeared to be complaining to fourth official Stephen Martin, and Lampard bit back.
They were both separated by Martin, with reporters at the ground saying it was a lengthy spat.
Tuesday's incident is not the first involving Lampard and a fellow manager on the touchline. The Englishman, who has also managed Derby, Chelsea, and Everton, famously hit out at then Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp in 2020, saying: "Only league title you've ever won and you're f****** giving it the big 'un... f*** off!"
The incident sparked a flurry of online chatter and remained a hot topic among fans for quite some time. However, the former England star later expressed his regret over the heated exchange with Klopp.
Lampard also revealed the parts of the exchange he categorically did not feel any remorse over and said he regrets that the silence in the stadium, brought on by pandemic rules, propelled his words to the masses.
Speaking to The Optus Sport Football Podcast in December 2022, the then-Everton manager confessed: "I've got to be careful to say that I'd never do it again because if I do you can replay this. I regret my wording, I don't regret my passion and I probably regret there were no fans in the stadium to drown out the noise because these things do happen and we see them."
Lampard did concede that the high-stakes nature of the match may have contributed to his fiery reaction, as Liverpool were in a celebratory mood while his Chelsea squad were battling for a top-four spot. The former Derby boss admitted he could have better controlled his emotions, while also acknowledging the immense pressure faced by top-tier managers.
"When I see another manager, I appreciate the passion and I understand the pressures and the reality of that game was that we were fighting to be in the Champions League positions in the last three games or whatever it was," he said.
"Liverpool were in party mode because they were going to be given the Premier League trophy after the game so it was a pressure game for us and maybe that's just how I am and maybe you've just got to control yourself better at different times."
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