Fulham boss Arbeloa fined but avoids ban for Man United bias claim

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 14 Oct, 13:45 · Archive

Fulham manager Alvaro Arbeloa has been fined for suggesting officials were biased towards Manchester United.

Alvaro Arbeloa was fined by the FA for comments made after Fulham's 1-1 draw with Manchester United on 20 September, when he suggested match officials showed bias towards United. In his post-match interview, the Fulham manager said he knew after United's previous game against Manchester City that officials 'would not let Manchester United lose'. United equalised through Matheus Cunha's deflected goal in the 89th minute at Craven Cottage.

The FA found that Arbeloa had acted improperly by making comments that implied bias and questioned the integrity of match officials. He admitted the charge and received a fine of £25,000. However, the FA declined to impose a touchline ban, instead issuing him with a warning, noting it was his first offence.

Fulham argued that mitigating circumstances applied, including that Arbeloa did not repeat his claims at his post-match press conference, is new to the Premier League and is not a native English speaker. The 43-year-old former Real Madrid coach is under significant pressure at Fulham, who remain bottom of the league with two points from six matches and have yet to record a league victory.

How it is being reported

• Alvaro Arbeloa hit with £25k FA fine after saying referee would 'not let Manchester United lose'Arbeloa made the comments about match officials following Fulham’s 1-1 draw with Manchester United last monthIndependent Sport · 14 Oct, 14:28
• Fulham manager Arbeloa fined for Man Utd refereeing outburstAlvaro Arbeloa fined $33,000 for remarks made after Fulham's 1-1 draw against Manchester United in September.Al Jazeera · 14 Oct, 13:03
• Fulham manager Alvaro Arbeloa escapes touchline ban for claiming officials 'would not let Man United lose' after 1-1 Premier League drawFulham manager Alvaro Arbeloa has avoided a touchline ban after implying officials were biased toward Manchester United in last month's Premier League draw.Daily Mail Sport · 14 Oct, 11:20

In this story: Alvaro Arbeloa · Fulham · Manchester United · Michael Oliver · Craven Cottage

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