Rodri escapes ban for referee comments but is fined and given warning | OneFootball

Manchester City midfielder Rodri has been fined by the FA for his comments after the Tottenham match in February, but has escaped a suspension.

A statement from the FA 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 1 February. “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, and its written reasons for these sanctions can be seen below.”

The Spanish international questioned referee Robert Jones, following his side’s 2-2 draw with Spurs at the start of February. “I know we won too much and the people don’t want us to win. But the referee has to be neutral,” said Rodri in a post-match outburst.

The 29-year-old has now been hit with an £80,000 fine, but Pep Guardiola will be relieved that he does not have to serve a suspension.

In their report, the commission unanimously believed that “the threshold had not been met for a playing sanction to be imposed”. Rodri will now be available to play in City’s next Premier League game against West Ham and the upcoming Carabao Cup final against Arsenal.