Fulham manager Alvaro Arbeloa fined £25,000 over Manchester United referee remarks
Fulham manager Alvaro Arbeloa has been fined £25,000 and warned over comments questioning match officials after a 1-1 draw with Manchester United. He admitted the FA charge after suggesting officials would not allow United to lose.
aljazeera.comFulham manager Arbeloa fined for Man Utd refereeing outburst
independent.co.ukAlvaro Arbeloa hit with £25k FA fine after saying referee would 'not let Manchester United lose'
Fine and warning
The English Football Association announced on Wednesday that Fulham manager Alvaro Arbeloa had been fined and warned over his post-match remarks following the September 20 draw with Manchester United. The Independent reported the fine as £25,000, while Al Jazeera gave the amount as $33,163.
Arbeloa admitted a charge of acting improperly by making comments that implied bias or questioned a match official’s integrity.
Fulham’s league position
Arbeloa took charge of Fulham in July and is still seeking his first league win with the club. Fulham are bottom of the table with two points from six matches.
Their next fixture is at home to newly promoted Hull City on Saturday.
Comments and commission findings
After the 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage, Arbeloa said: “Every decision was for them,” adding that officials “don’t let Manchester United lose here.” United had equalised through Matheus Cunha’s deflected strike in the 89th minute.
Arbeloa referred to United’s previous defeat by Manchester City, in which Erling Haaland’s winner was initially disallowed for offside before being awarded following a lengthy VAR review.
In written reasons published on Wednesday, the independent commission said Arbeloa’s words suggested repeated bias by officials and potentially premeditation to compensate for an error in another match. This was the commission’s interpretation of his remarks.