Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has been handed a two-game touchline ban and fined £10,000 for improper conduct after his side's 2-1 defeat to Burnley last month.

He will not be on the touchline for the fixture against Southampton and more importantly, will miss the game against Liverpool at Anfield.

The decision comes after Pochettino confronted referee Mike Dean at full-time at Turf Moor with his assistant Jesus Perez joining him to dispute a number of decisions.

It's believed both were furious with the call to award Burnley a corner, rather than a goal kick, which led to them breaking the deadlock. 

Despite never revealing what he said during the exchange, the Spurs coach admitted after the game that his behaviour "crossed the line" and he also apologised to Dean. 

Even though he admitted wrongdoing, Pochettino had also said he wasn't anticipating a suspension. 

"A ban, why? I don't believe that it's going to happen. I don't think that's going to be fair," he said, per BBC Sport.

"For what? It was a conversation, no? Maybe it was close but it was a conversation. I don't believe it's fair. But I'm going to accept if they ban me." 

A BIG IMPACT? 

It's taken the FA almost two weeks to reach a decision and arguably, it couldn't come at a worse time for Tottenham. 

Domestically, the north London club haven't won a game for almost a month, with their last victory coming against Leicester on February 10. 

Since then, Spurs have lost to Burnely and Chelsea and also drew with Arsenal at Wembley last weekend. 

Without their manager on the sidelines against title-chasing Liverpool, Tottenham could be in for a long afternoon when the two sides meet on March 31.  

Pochettino will also be absent from the dugout this Saturday when Spurs travel to Southampton.