Rodri fined £80,000 over Referee comments after Tottenham draw

Rodri has been fined £80,000 by The Football Association after comments he made about the referee following Manchester City’s Premier League draw with Tottenham Hotspur.

The Spain international criticised match official Robert Jones after the 2-2 result on 1 February, suggesting the referee had not been “neutral” during the contest.

FA charge and sanction

The FA confirmed Rodri admitted to a charge of acting improperly during a post-match media interview by making remarks that implied bias and questioned the integrity of a match official.

A regulatory commission subsequently imposed an £80,000 fine on the midfielder.

Disputed Tottenham goal

Rodri’s frustration stemmed from Tottenham’s second goal, scored by Dominic Solanke, which was allowed to stand despite protests from City players.

The midfielder believed Solanke had kicked through the leg of defender Marc Guehi in the build-up to the goal.

Speaking after the match, Rodri said: “I know we won too much and the people don’t want us to win, but the referee has to be neutral. It’s not fair because we work so hard. When everything is finished, you are frustrated.”

Player issues clarification

As part of the disciplinary process, Rodri submitted two letters to the FA’s regulatory commission.

In the first, he argued that his comments had been “misunderstood and misinterpreted by some media organisations”. However, in a subsequent letter he accepted that the remarks were inappropriate.

“I wish to make clear that I did not intend to imply bias or question the integrity of the match officials,” Rodri wrote.

“I have always had, and continue to have, great respect for referees and the difficult job they undertake in a fast-moving and highly pressured environment.”

He added that the comments were made in a moment of frustration following a disappointing result and acknowledged the wording he used was poorly chosen.