Official penalty imposed on Fulham manager over refereeing remarks

The English Football Association has imposed a fine of 25,000 pounds on Fulham manager Alvaro Arbeloa along with a formal warning, following his questioning of referee integrity after a draw against Manchester United. The independent regulatory commission reviewing the incident stated in its written reasons published on Wednesday that the Spanish coach's remarks did not merely suggest a repeated bias by the officiating crew throughout the match, but went further to insinuate a deliberate attempt to compensate for errors witnessed in other fixtures. The Spanish manager, experiencing his first managerial stint in the English league this season, admitted to the charge of acting in an improper manner stemming from comments made after the final whistle of the game that ended in a one-all draw at Craven Cottage on September 20. Arbeloa had hinted after the match at referee favoritism toward Manchester United to make up for their defeat against Manchester City in the previous round due to a controversial goal, stating at the time that all decisions and mistakes favored their opponents and that he knew completely after the City game that they would not allow Manchester United to lose here. It is noteworthy that Arbeloa took charge of Fulham this season after departing from Real Madrid.