New Chelsea set piece coach Austin MacPhee had to be dragged away by boss Xabi Alonso after getting involved in a heated altercation with a member of Johor Darul Ta'zim's backroom team during a friendly at Stamford Bridge.
Friendly ends in drama
The Blues continued their preparations for the new Premier League season with a clash against the Malaysian side, who had played Rangers earlier this summer. Chelsea fought back from a goal down twice to claim a 3-3 draw, with an own goal from Johor's Antonio Cristian a minute from time rounding off the scoring.
But with an hour on the clock, MacPhee lost his rag after reacting to a challenge on striker Liam Delap by Johor defender Antonio Glauder. The 46-year-old, who joined Chelsea from Aston Villa earlier this summer for around £1million, was seen telling a Johor staff member to "shut the f*** up" before Alonso intervened and calmed the Scot down.
MacPhee's coaching journey
After a short playing career with Romanian minnows Dacia Unirea Brăila, MacPhee launched his coaching career by managing junior side Cupar Hearts and led the club to the Scottish Amateur Cup final in his first season. The ex-midfielder then served as number two to Danny Lennon at Cowdenbeath between 2008 and 2010 before a four-year spell at St Mirren, where he stepped down in 2014 to focus on his role in the Northern Ireland national team.
In 2016, MacPhee combined that position with a role as Ian Cathro's number two at Hearts, where he remained until May 2020. The Kirkcaldy native then stepped down from the Northern Ireland team a year later in order to join Steve Clarke's backroom staff in the Scotland team alongside his role at Aston Villa.
MacPhee left the Scotland team in September 2024 and was appointed as assistant coach to ex-Portugal boss Roberto Martinez in February 2025. He played a crucial role behind the scenes last season as Unai Emery's Aston Villa lifted the Europa League, their first continental title since 1982.
