Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder has found himself in hot water with the Football Association (FA) as he has been charged with improper conduct. This charge stems from a recent rant that Wilder directed towards match officials following his team's 3-2 defeat by Crystal Palace last month.
During the post-match press conference, Wilder expressed his frustration with referee Tony Harrington's performance, calling it 'ridiculous.' He went on to imply that officials were more likely to make decisions against his club, suggesting bias.
The FA has stated that Wilder has been charged with a breach of Rule E3.1, which pertains to post-match comments that attack the integrity of referees or imply bias. In a statement released on Wednesday, the FA clarified the nature of the charge.
Wilder's anger was initially sparked by an incident involving his goalkeeper, Ivo Grbic, who was forced off the pitch with concussion after a collision with Crystal Palace's Jean-Philippe Mateta. Surprisingly, Mateta did not receive a yellow card for the challenge, which further fueled Wilder's frustration.
'It's yet another ridiculous performance from the referee,' Wilder expressed during the press conference. 'I was told by a Premier League referee, who's as honest as the day is long, 'Get ready because every tight decision will go against you, every 50-50 will go against you.''
Wilder elaborated on his dissatisfaction, pointing out that he believed decisions consistently went against Sheffield United. He also speculated that officials may have a subconscious bias because they anticipate that his team may not be in the Premier League much longer.
'I'm not looking back over the last 10 games; it's over a longer period, before I was here as well,' Wilder asserted. 'Maybe the thought process is that, 'They won't be long in this division, and I might be refereeing the other team next year, so I don't want to upset too many people.''
In an unusual turn of events, Wilder also claimed that when he approached the officials after the game, he discovered an assistant referee casually eating a sandwich. He labeled this act as a 'complete lack of respect' towards him as a Premier League manager. Wilder did not shy away from expressing his disapproval at the time, stating, 'Hopefully he enjoyed his sandwich while he was talking to a Premier League manager.'
Chris Wilder has until February 16 to respond to the charges brought against him by the FA. The outcome of this situation remains uncertain, and it will be interesting to see how both Wilder and Sheffield United address this issue moving forward.
