Hiddink condemns Chelsea-Spurs post-match scuffle
REUTERS - Outgoing Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink voiced displeasure over the scuffle that broke out between his players and the Tottenham Hotspur squad after Monday's stalemate at Stamford Bridge that ended Spurs' Premier League title hopes.
Tottenham had nine players booked, the most in the league's history, and Chelsea had three bookings in an ill-tempered London derby which saw Hiddink knocked over during the brawl and Spurs midfielder Mousa Dembele appear to attempt eye-gouging Diego Costa.
"It was a very emotional and hectic game... To be honest, there were some incidents which were not good. There was a bit of verbal animosity and I tried to come in between and go into the locker room," Hiddink told British media.
"Everyone started dancing around and pushing around... More people became involved and we shuffled around. You must not have these type of incidents but it happens and at the end we must all calm down."
Both sets of players and backroom staff were involved in ugly scenes in front of the tunnel at the end as Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas confronted left back Danny Rose with Hiddink losing his footing.
Spurs will be hit with an automatic fine from the Football Association (FA) as any team that gets six or more bookings during a game gets charged and gets at least a 25,000 pound($36,700) fine.
Chelsea, who are ninth in the table, travel to relegation-threatened Sunderland on Saturday, while Mauricio Pochettino's charges host Southampton the following day.
($1 = 0.6819 pounds)
(Reporting by Shravanth Vijayakumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Hugh Lawson)