Arbeloa fined £25,000 for accusing referee of bias towards Manchester United

Fulham manager Alvaro Arbeloa has been fined £25,000 by the Football Association after admitting a misconduct charge for comments he made following his side’s 1-1 Premier League draw with Manchester United on 20 September.

Arbeloa used his post-match interview to suggest referee Peter Bankes had favoured Michael Carrick’s side, remarks that came days after controversy over Erling Haaland’s disputed goal in Manchester City’s win over United. The FA charged the 43-year-old with acting improperly by making comments that “imply bias and/or question the integrity of a match official”, and Arbeloa subsequently admitted the charge.

In his original post-match remarks, the former Liverpool and Real Madrid defender was pointed in his criticism. “All fouls for them,” he said. “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 that they [would not] let Manchester United lose here.”

Arbeloa attempted to soften the impact at a later press conference, saying: “My English is not so good. Maybe I explain myself so bad and I prefer not to say anything about the referees because you never know.” The FA took a dim view of that attempted walk-back and pressed ahead with the charge.

The fine arrives at a difficult moment for Arbeloa and Fulham. The Cottagers sit bottom of the Premier League table with just two points from their opening six matches, and the pressure on the first-time top-flight manager intensified further last week when Ipswich Town scored twice late on at Portman Road to complete a comeback victory against his side.

Matheus Cunha’s late equaliser had earned Fulham a point against United, but the broader picture at Craven Cottage remains bleak, with reports suggesting Arbeloa’s position is increasingly precarious.