Mauricio Pochettino Receives Fine, 2-Game Touchline Ban for Mike Dean Spat

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has been handed a two-game touchline ban and fined £10,000 by the FA after his on-pitch confrontation with referee Mike Dean following Spurs' 2-1 defeat to Burnley last month. 

The FA confirmed the news on Wednesday, meaning Pochettino will be in the stands for upcoming games against Southampton and Liverpool in the Premier League:

Spurs' defeat to Burnley on February 23 was the first of a three-game winless run that has effectively seen them drop out of the title race and dragged into the battle for the top four.

Pochettino was incensed at the final whistle at Turf Moor after a number of controversial decisions, including the awarding of a corner that led to Burnley's first goal.

The Argentinian subsequently acknowledged he "crossed the line" in confronting Dean and issued a public apology to the official.

However, he also said he was not expecting a ban, per the Evening Standard's Dan Kilpatrick.

It is a sanction Pochettino and Spurs could do without given their recent slump in form. 

They beat Borussia Dortmund 1-0 on Tuesday to earn a spot in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals.

But the north London outfit are no longer completely comfortable in the Premier League's top four after a defeat to Chelsea and draw with Arsenal followed the loss to Burnley:

Spurs will be desperate to get back to winning ways at St. Mary's Stadium on Saturday before they visit Anfield to take on Liverpool on March 31.

Anything other than six points from those two matches could see Spurs dragged further into the race for the top four, and they will now have to play both fixtures without Pochettino on the sidelines.