Man City charged over players surrounding referee
Players surrounded referee Simon Hooper after he denied City a chance to score a late winner when Jack Grealish was in behind the Spurs defense
Manchester City have been charged by the Football Association with failing to control their players in Sunday’s 3-3 draw with Tottenham.
Players surrounded referee Simon Hooper after he denied City a chance to score a late winner when Jack Grealish was in behind the Spurs defense.
He had already allowed play to continue after a foul on Erling Haaland but halted the match once the pass was played.
City have until Thursday, 7 December to respond to the charge.
An FA statement said the defending champions “failed to ensure their players do not behave in a way which is improper.”
Striker Erling Haaland was one of several City players to remonstrate with the official and he continued his protests after the game by reposting a clip of the incident on X, formerly Twitter, with the comment “Wtf”, which is offensive slang.
— Erling Haaland (@ErlingHaaland) December 3, 2023
However, the FA will not be handing out any further charges relating to the fixture, so Haaland is not facing an individual punishment.
It is the third Premier League game in succession that City have drawn, having also been held by Liverpool and Chelsea, and they sit third in the Premier League with a three-point gap to leaders Arsenal.
Story By: Princeton Wiredu
