Fulham head coach Alvaro Arbeloa has been charged by the Football Association (FA) for comments that imply referees show bias towards Manchester United.
Arbeloa’s side were pegged back for a 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage in their final match before the international break as Matheus Cunha scored a deflected equaliser in the 89th minute for the Red Devils.
The Fulham head coach was furious that United had been awarded a free kick for a foul on Harry Maguire on the halfway line 35 seconds before that goal which Arbeloa deemed not to be worthy of a free kick.
The Spaniard felt Cesar Palacios had not committed a foul on Maguire and later claimed referee Michael Oliver and his officiating team working on the game had awarded “all fouls” to United.
Failure to hold on for victory left Fulham in the relegation zone, above Tottenham in 19th place.
“All fouls for them,” Arbeloa said in his post-match interview with Sky Sports after the game on September 20.
“You can see before they scored, the foul against 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.”
A statement on Wednesday afternoon confirmed Arbeloa has been charged for those comments.
The FA statement read: “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.”
