Fulham manager Alvaro Arbeloa has been fined £25,000 ($33,200) and warned over comments he made after a Premier League draw with Manchester United that questioned the referee’s impartiality.
Arbeloa accepted a charge of “acting in an improper manner” over his remarks following the 1-1 draw between the teams at Fulham’s Craven Cottage on Sept 20.
“I think all fouls for them,” the Spanish coach said after the match, referring to Manchester United, who had lost to Manchester City the previous weekend following a controversial 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.”
In its written explanation published on Wednesday, an independent commission said it believed Arbeloa’s remarks suggested that match officials had repeatedly favoured Manchester United during the game.
The commission also said his comments implied that the officials or others might have deliberately tried to compensate for a mistake made in a different match.
Arbeloa is in his first season as Fulham manager after leaving Real Madrid.