Manchester City in action against Tottenham in the Premier League© AFP
Manchester City was charged by the Football Association on Monday over the conduct of its players during the final moments of the 3-3 draw against Tottenham last weekend. Several City stars, including an irate Erling Haaland, surrounded referee Simon Hooper after he failed to take advantage in the closing moments of a tense Premier League match at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday. Haaland was fouled but shunned Emerson Royal's challenge to play Jack Grealish through on goal, before Hooper pulled play back to award the hosts a free-kick after apparently already waving through. Haaland continued to express his anger as he left the field after the final whistle and continued to protest after the match by reposting a clip of the incident on X, formerly Twitter, with the comment “Wtf”, which is offensive slang.
Manager Pep Guardiola said he understood his striker's anger.
“He's a bit disappointed,” the City boss said after the match. “Even the referee, if he played for Man City today, he would be disappointed with this action, that's for sure.”
On Monday, the FA released a statement saying City had been charged.
“Manchester City have been charged with breaching FA Rule E20.1 after their players surrounded the match official during the Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday 3 December 2023,” the governing body said in a statement.
“It is alleged that the club failed to ensure that their players did not behave in an inappropriate manner in the 94th minute of the match.
“Manchester City has until Thursday, December 7 to respond to the complaint.”
(This story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Topics mentioned in this article