Fulham manager Alvaro Arbeloa has been charged with misconduct by the Football Association over comments he made about refereeing decisions following his side’s draw with Manchester United
The Spaniard accused officials of effectively refusing to allow United to lose after Fulham surrendered a late lead in a 1-1 Premier League draw on 20 September.
Fulham had appeared set to secure their first victory of the season after Lisandro Martinez put the ball into his own net, but Matheus Cunha struck late to rescue a point for United.
FA alleges Arbeloa questioned referee integrity
Arbeloa was critical of the officiating after the match and suggested Fulham had been disadvantaged by decisions involving United.
“Every decision was for them and I knew after the game against Man City that they would not let Man Utd lose. We deserved a little bit more,” Arbeloa said.
The former Real Madrid coach also referred to United’s previous match, saying Fulham had watched the refereeing decisions in recent games and knew the fixture would be difficult.
The FA has now formally acted over those remarks.
“Alvaro Arbeloa has been charged with misconduct for comments made after the Premier League fixture between Fulham and Manchester United on Sunday 20 September,” the FA said.
“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.”
Arbeloa has until Thursday, 1 October, to respond to the charge.
Arbeloa later softens referee criticism
The Fulham manager appeared to distance himself from the comments during a subsequent press conference, blaming his English for how his initial remarks were understood.
“My English is not so good. Maybe I explain myself so bad and I prefer not to say anything about the referees because you never know,” he said.
Arbeloa only took charge of Fulham in July and is yet to record a Premier League victory this season.
The London club sit second from bottom after two draws and three defeats from their opening five matches.
Fulham began the campaign with a 3-2 home defeat against Chelsea before losing 1-0 at Sunderland. They then suffered another 3-2 home defeat to Crystal Palace, before claiming a point away at Liverpool and drawing with United.