Alvaro Arbeloa in hot water over controversial Man United comments

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Fulham boss Alvaro Arbeloa’s comments following the 1-1 draw against Manchester United have landed him in hot water. The Red Devils travelled to Craven Cottage on the final weekend before the international break to face the Cottagers in the Premier League.

Michael Carrick’s side arrived at the game on the back of consecutive defeats against Manchester City in the league and Brighton & Hove Albion in the EFL Cup. United were looking to avoid a third defeat in as many games, but fell behind to a Lisandro Martinez own goal in the 63rd minute.

The equaliser eluded the visitors for long periods, before Matheus Cunha scored in the 89th minute to secure a point for his team. Despite that result, United remain 12th in the Premier League table, with questions already being asked of Carrick’s suitability to lead the team.

Meanwhile, Arbeloa was furious at dropping points at home and pointed fingers at the match officials after the game.

What did Arbeloa say?

Speaking after the game, the Spanish manager alleged refereeing bias, stating: “You can see before they scored, the foul against [Harry] Maguire, he’s a guy who is 100 kilos. Every decision was for them.”

“And I knew. I knew after the game against Man City [which United lost after a controversial goal] that they [would not] let Manchester United lose here. We deserved a little bit more.”

He appeared to make a reference to the VAR controversy from the previous weekend, in United’s 1-0 defeat to City. The Citizens won the game via a questionable Erling Haaland winner, which was initially flagged offside by the match officials, before VAR intervened to overrule that decision.

Replays later suggested that the goal should never have stood, prompting the refereeing body to issue United an apology and take action against VAR official Matthew Donohue.

Arbeloa, of course, appeared to suggest that the match officials had tried to undo their error at Craven Cottage, and his comments have not been taken lightly by the FA.

FA have sanctioned Arbeloa for United comments

In an official statement released on Wednesday, the FA revealed that Arbeloa had been charged with misconduct. The statement read: “Alvaro Arbeloa has been charged with misconduct for comments made after the Premier League fixture between Fulham and Manchester United on Sunday 20 September.”

“It is alleged that the Fulham manager acted in an improper manner by making comments in a post-match interview that imply bias and/or question the integrity of a match official. Alvaro Arbeloa has until Thursday 1 October to provide a response.”

Final Thoughts

Arbeloa’s sanction will be of little consolation for United fans, who will be far from impressed by the team’s display in that 1-1 draw. The Red Devils next face Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, 10 October, and anything other than a win will further pile the pressure on Carrick.