<\/p>\nListen to this article<\/span>\u00a0|\u00a0<\/span>5 mins<\/span><\/p>\n<\/button>info<\/title><path class=\"icon-main-color\" d=\"M12 0a12 12 0 1 0 0 24 12 12 0 0 0 0-24Zm-.226 3.225a2.039 2.039 0 0 1 2.155 1.924v.193a1.998 1.998 0 0 1-2.155 2.149 2.029 2.029 0 0 1-2.146-2.15 2.039 2.039 0 0 1 1.955-2.122h.193l-.002.006Zm3.227 15.525a.75.75 0 0 1-.752.75H9.75a.75.75 0 0 1-.75-.75v-1.5a.75.75 0 0 1 .752-.75h.748V12h-.75a.75.75 0 0 1-.75-.75v-1.5a.75.75 0 0 1 .752-.751h3a.75.75 0 0 1 .75.752v6.75h.75a.75.75 0 0 1 .75.749L15 18.75Z\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>AC Milan\u2019s 1-1 home draw with Como saw them drop seven points behind rivals Inter in the race for Italy\u2019s Serie A title, but the result was even more infuriating for the Rossoneri and their supporters after a controversial incident involving a Milan counter and the opposition manager, Cesc Fabregas.<\/p>\n<p>A coming together on the touchline, involving the former Arsenal and Barcelona midfielder while the ball was in play, resulted in play being stopped and the Milan manager, Massimiliano\u00a0Allegri, being sent off.<\/p>\n<section class=\"more-on\">\n<h2 class=\"more-on__heading\">Recommended Stories<!-- --> <\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list of 4 items<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>The overview of the incident was not completely clear at the time and continued into post-match interviews, where the allegations and accusations increased.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"what-happened-between-fabregas-and-alexis-saelemaekers\">What happened between Fabregas and Alexis Saelemaekers?<\/h2>\n<p>With the match level at 1-1 and with only 10 minutes to play, Milan attempted a counterattack on the left flank just in front of the Como technical area.<\/p>\n<p>Rossoneri winger Alexis Saelemaekers was surrounded by Como defenders but attempted to cut infield to break clear of his defenders.<\/p>\n<p>Rather than continue his run, however, the Belgium international instead ground to a halt and immediately turned to remonstrate with Como manager Cesc Fabregas.<\/p>\n<p>The replays show Fabregas alongside Saelemaekers on the edge of the field of play, with Milan alleging the away team manager pulled the shirt of their player, preventing their attempted attack.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"why-was-ac-milan-s-allegri-sent-off-for-the-incident-with-fabregas\">Why was AC Milan\u2019s Allegri sent off for the incident with Fabregas?<\/h2>\n<p>A touchline bust-up ensued as the Milan bench, and their manager Allegri, confronted their opposite numbers from Como. Allegri was shown a red card by referee Maurizio Mariani for his part in the melee.<\/p>\n<p>Fabregas\u2019s assistant, and Como team manager, was also shown a red card.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"what-have-fabregas-and-allegri-said-about-the-incident\">What have Fabregas and Allegri said about the incident?<\/h2>\n<p>In his post-match interview, Allegri made no attempt to hide his annoyance about the incident.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI believe there was a foul,\u201d Allegri told the broadcaster, DAZN.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSaelemaekers was starting a counterattack and was pulled by someone from the bench \u2013 I think it was Fabregas.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4323944\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4323944\" style=\"width:770px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-arc-image-770 wp-image-4323944\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/2026-02-18T213625Z_1781172034_UP1EM2I1O0N2H_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-ITALY-MIL-COM-1771486081.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C530&quality=80\" alt=\"AC Milan's Italian coach Massimiliano Allegri, left, leaves the field after his red card and argument with Como's Spanish coach Cesc Fabregas argue during the Italian Serie A football match \" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4323944\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri is shown a red card by referee Maurizio Mariani [Daniele Mascolo\/Reuters]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Later, Fabregas admitted that his behaviour was \u201cunsporting\u201d but said he had touched the ball with his hand and not pulled Saelemaekers\u2019s shirt.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want to apologise first and foremost, I did something I am not proud of, and was unsporting,\u201d Fabregas told DAZN. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to keep our hands to ourselves \u2026 especially the coaches.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI apologise, it was just a little touch and Allegri\u2019s response was exaggerated, but I admit I shouldn\u2019t have done it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI would\u2019ve got angry too, so I can only apologise and say I hope it never happens again in my career.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI touched the ball with my hand to prevent Milan from resuming play\u2026 I acted unsportsmanlike, and I apologise,\u201d Fabregas said.<\/p>\n<p>On Fabregas apologising for his part in the incident, Allegri replied: \u201cI understand, but next time if someone runs down the line, I will make a sliding tackle and come in too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Allegri also defended his actions, saying he only left his technical area to \u201cdefend his player\u201d.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"do-fabregas-and-allegri-have-a-history-of-poor-behaviour\">Do Fabregas and Allegri have a history of poor behaviour?<\/h2>\n<p>Allegri is known for his calm approach on and off the field. The former midfielder had a reputation for seeing the game at a quicker pace than others and controlling the flow of play accordingly, an alertness he is also renowned for on the touchline.<\/p>\n<p>Fabregas was an all-action midfielder for Arsenal, Barcelona, Chelsea and Spain, and \u2013 much like Allegri \u2013 was hugely gifted technically. Having spent the majority of his career in the fast-paced English Premier League with the two London sides, Fabregas was known for a fiery approach in the centre of the park.<\/p>\n<p>As Como manager, Fabregas saw his team involved in a mass brawl during a preseason friendly in Spain against Real Betis last summer, which saw both sets of coaching staff drawn into the on-field scuffle where punches were thrown.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"how-did-the-serie-a-game-between-ac-milan-and-como-play-out\">How did the Serie A game between AC Milan and Como play out?<\/h2>\n<p>Argentina midfielder Nico Paz put Como ahead in the 32nd minute following a clumsy error from Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan.<\/p>\n<p>The France number one tried passing the ball from the edge of his penalty area, but Paz swiftly intercepted it and shot through Maignan\u2019s legs for his ninth league goal of the season.<\/p>\n<p>Portugal winger Rafael Leao equalised midway through the second half for Milan with a neat lob after being set up by midfielder Ardon Jashari.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"how-is-the-rest-of-serie-a-shaping-up-behind-inter-and-ac-milan\">How is the rest of Serie A shaping up behind Inter and AC Milan?<\/h2>\n<p>The draw with Como extended Milan\u2019s unbeaten streak in the league to 24 games, though the seven-point gap to rivals Inter is now looking substantial.<\/p>\n<p>Second-placed Milan are four points ahead of defending champions Napoli in third.<\/p>\n<p>Como moved into sixth spot on goal difference from Atalanta in the race for a Champions League place next season. Fifth-placed Juventus \u2013 formerly managed by Allegri \u2013 are four points ahead of Fabregas\u2019s Como.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Listen to this article\u00a0|\u00a05 mins info AC Milan\u2019s 1-1 home draw with Como saw them drop seven points behind rivals Inter in the race for Italy\u2019s Serie A title, but the result was even more infuriating for the Rossoneri and their supporters after a controversial incident involving a Milan counter and the opposition manager, Cesc […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12742,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12741","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-europe-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12741","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12741"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12741\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12742"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12741"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12741"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12741"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}