Mauricio Pochettino Accepts FA Misconduct Charge, Apologises to Mike Dean

Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino has apologised to referee Mike Dean after confronting him at the final whistle of Spurs' 2-1 defeat to Burnley on Saturday. 

The Argentinian did so in his press conference ahead of Tottenham's trip to Chelsea on Wednesday, and he also accepted the improper conduct charge issued by the FA as a result of the incident, per Football.London's Alasdair Gold:

Pochettino made his displeasure at Dean's officiating known after the defeat at Turf Moor in a heated conversation:

It was Spurs' seventh Premier League defeat of the season, of which Dean has overseen three.

Dean was due to act as the fourth official in Spurs' upcoming clash with Chelsea, but he has been moved to a different match following the confrontation.

Per Gold, Pochettino regrets that the decision to give the official a different game had to be made:

In January last year, former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger was hit with a three-match touchline ban and a £40,000 fine for angrily confronting Dean in the officials' dressing room after a 1-1 draw at West Bromwich Albion.

Per BBC Sport, Wenger admitted that "his language and behaviour was abusive, improper and questioned the integrity" of the referee, so Pochettino could find himself hit with similar sanctions.

According to Football.London's James Benge, Pochettino had until Thursday to respond to the FA's charge, and therefore he would have avoided being banned for Wednesday's trip to Stamford Bridge if he answered at the deadline.

However, in replying on Tuesday, it's possible he'll now face the prospect of a suspension early.

He might also miss the north London derby against Arsenal on Saturday, and a trip to Southampton on March 9.

Whether Pochettino is on the touchline or not, he'll be eager for his side to get back to winning ways following their defeat to Burnley.

The loss at Turf Moor has likely brought an end to their slim title chances, as they're now six points behind leaders Liverpool, but if they were to also suffer defeats against bitter local rivals Chelsea and Arsenal, they would find themselves at risk of being caught up by those behind them.