Premier League manager charged and fined by FA after Manchester United complaints

Fulham manager Álvaro Arbeloa has been handed a £25,000 ($32,973) fine following his comments about Manchester United. The Cottagers’ head coach directed his frustration at the officials during last month’s draw with the Red Devils, as Matheus Cunha equalized late in the match.

The former Liverpool and Real Madrid defender singled out referee Peter Bankes, implying the official was partial toward Michael Carrick’s side. Arbeloa’s heated remarks came in the aftermath of the controversy surrounding Manchester City’s victory over United, in which Erling Haaland’s goal was controversially allowed to stand.

The Football Association charged Arbeloa with misconduct, and the embattled manager has now been hit with a financial penalty.

Following the 1-1 tie last month, he said, via the Manchester Evening News: “All fouls for them. You can see before they scored, the foul against [Harry] Maguire, he’s a guy who is 100 kilos. Every decision was for them.

“And I knew. I knew after the game against Man City that they [would not] let Manchester United lose here. We deserved a little bit more.

“We were so close. So, so close. We were a little bit unlucky again. We knew it would be difficult against this big team. Also we knew what happened last week. We have seen what the referees have been doing all the match so it was a difficult game. And we were unlucky.”

Reports indicate that Arbeloa could be living on borrowed time, mere weeks following his remarks. Fulham sit bottom of the Premier League standings with only two points from their first six matches.

Ipswich Town mounted a stunning fightback at Portman Road last week, netting twice in the closing stages to secure an improbable turnaround and intensify the pressure on Arbeloa.

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In a statement last month, the FA charged the 43-year-old with ‘implying bias and/or questioning the integrity of a match official’.

They said: “It was alleged that the Fulham head coach acted in an improper manner by making comments in a post-match interview that imply bias and/or question the integrity of a match official. Alvaro Arbeloa subsequently admitted the charge.

“Alvaro Arbeloa has been charged with misconduct for comments made after the Premier League fixture between Fulham and Manchester United on Sunday 20 September.

“It is alleged that the Fulham manager acted in an improper manner by making comments in a post-match interview that imply bias and/or question the integrity of a match official. Alvaro Arbeloa has until Thursday 1 October to provide a response.”

Arbeloa did attempt to minimize the fallout during his press conference, though the governing body has since taken a negative view of his efforts.

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“My English is not so good,” he said. “Maybe I explain myself so bad and I prefer not to say anything about the referees because you never know.

“When you say something that you don’t have to say, it’s better to stay calm, focus on the performance of my team and focus on the next game.

“I’m not really happy. Like I said, I need to be focused and put my energy in all the things that I have to improve.

“[Maguire] is a very big guy and maybe it wasn’t a foul. But it’s ok. Like I said, I prefer to analyse the game – players, systems and it’s the best for win.”