Fulham coach Arbeloa fined for referee comments after Man United draw

Dubai: Fulham manager Alvaro Arbeloa has been fined £25,000 ($33,200) and issued a warning over comments made after his side’s Premier League clash with Manchester United that raised questions about the referee’s integrity.

Arbeloa accepted a charge of having “acted in an improper manner” following the 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage on September 20.

“I think all fouls for them,” the Spaniard said at the time in reference to United, who had lost to Manchester City the previous weekend because of a contentious goal.

“Every decision was for them,” Arbeloa added, “and I knew, I knew after the game against Man City that they don’t let Manchester United lose here.”

According to its written reasons published Wednesday, the independent commission investigating the incident “felt that those words suggested, not only that there was bias on the part of the match officials throughout the game on repeated occasions, but also that there may even have been an element of pre-meditation by them and/or others to try to make up for an error in a different match.”

Arbeloa has endured a difficult start to life at Fulham following his move to the west London club in the summer, having previously taken charge of Real Madrid on an interim basis.

The Spaniard arrived with high expectations after his time at one of Europe’s biggest clubs, but adapting to the demands of the Premier League has proved challenging.

His side have struggled for consistency in the opening weeks of the campaign, while his recent criticism of the referee following the draw against Manchester United has added to the scrutiny surrounding his tenure.