FA Imposes Hefty Fine on Manchester City Players Over Referee Outburs

Manchester City has been slapped with a hefty fine of £120,000 ($150,000) by the Football Association (FA) for the dissent exhibited by their players towards the referee after their 3-3 draw with Tottenham in a recent Premier League match.

In the dying moments of added time, a foul on Haaland resulted in a miraculous pass to Grealish, who sprinted towards the goal. Despite indicating an advantage, referee Simon Hooper unexpectedly stopped play, sparking fury among City players and supporters who felt the chance for an advantage was unfairly denied.

City’s stars, including Haaland, expressed their anger at Hooper by surrounding the referee, with the Norwegian player appearing to shout at the official. The FA statement declared, “Manchester City FC have been fined £120,000 after their players surrounded a match official at the Premier League game against Tottenham Hotspur FC on Sunday 3 December. Manchester City FC admitted that they failed to ensure their players did not behave in an improper way during the 94th minute. An independent Regulatory Commission imposed this sanction following a hearing.”

Despite Haaland expressing frustration on social media after the match, he was not charged by the governing body for these statements.