Rodri fined, warned over match officials outburst

Rodri has escaped a ban after admitting an FA charge following comments made about the officials after Manchester City’s draw against Tottenham.

The Spanish midfielder has been fined £80,000 ($107,000) and warned about his future conduct after accusing referee Robert Jones of not being “neutral” during the 2-2 draw at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in February.

A statement issued by the FA on Monday read: “An independent regulatory commission has sanctioned Rodri for the media comments that he made after Manchester City’s Premier League game against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday February 1.

“It was alleged that the midfielder acted in an improper manner during a post-match media interview by making comments that imply bias and/or question the integrity of a match official and/or match officials, contrary to FA Rule E3.1.

“Rodri subsequently admitted the charge against him. The Regulatory Commission imposed an £80,000 fine and warning as to future conduct following a hearing.”

During the draw at Spurs, City were particularly frustrated that replays showed Dominic Solanke kicked through Marc Guéhi’s leg to score as the home side came back from 2-0 down.

Rodri claimed afterwards City had been on the end of similar decisions for “two, three games in a row.”

In a letter explaining his comments for which he has apologised the 29-year-old said he was referencing decisions not to send off Manchester United defender Diogo Dalot for a challenge on Jérémy Doku during the 2-0 derby defeat at Old Trafford and to disallow an Antoine Semenyo goal in the 2-0 win over Newcastle in the Carabao Cup semifinal first leg.-ESPN

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