Fulham coach Alvaro Arbeloa has been fined $33,163 and given a warning for comments he made after his side’s 1-1 draw with Manchester United in September, when he suggested officials would not allow United to lose.
The English Football Association (FA) announced the sanction on Wednesday.
United rescued a point at Craven Cottage on September 20, with Matheus Cunha’s deflected equaliser arriving in the 89th minute of the Premier League fixture.
Speaking after the match, Arbeloa said: “I knew after the game against Manchester City that they don’t let Manchester United lose here.”
The former Real Madrid coach was referring to one of United’s previous league matches, when Erling Haaland scored the winner in 10-man City’s 1-0 victory at Old Trafford.
The strike was initially disallowed for offside before being awarded following a lengthy and contentious VAR review.
“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,” the FA said in a statement.
The FA added that Arbeloa admitted the charge.
The 43-year-old Spaniard, who took charge of Fulham in July, is still searching for his first league win with the London club, who sit bottom of the standings with two points from six matches.
Source: www.aljazeera.com
