Fulham head coach Alvaro Arbeloa has been fined $33,163 and given a formal warning by the English Football Association (FA) over comments he made after his side’s 1-1 draw with Manchester United in September. The governing body announced the sanction on Wednesday.
United salvaged a point at Craven Cottage on September 20, when Matheus Cunha’s deflected equaliser arrived in the 89th minute of the Premier League match. Arbeloa then suggested that match officials would never allow United to lose.
Arbeloa’s reference to Manchester City and VAR
Arbeloa said: “I knew after the game against Manchester City that they don’t let Manchester United lose here.” He was pointing to an earlier United league fixture, in which Erling Haaland’s winner gave 10-man City a 1-0 victory at Old Trafford.
That goal was first ruled out for offside before being awarded after a lengthy and contentious VAR review.
FA says Arbeloa admitted the charge
The FA said the Fulham head coach was alleged to have acted improperly by making comments in a post-match interview that implied bias or questioned the integrity of a match official. The FA added that Arbeloa admitted the charge.
The 43-year-old Spaniard took charge of Fulham in July but has yet to record a league win with the London club. Fulham sit bottom of the table with two points from six matches.
