Premier League1 hour ago1 minute read

Fulham Boss Álvaro Arbeloa Charged By FA After Manchester United Draw

Fulham manager Álvaro Arbeloa faces an FA misconduct charge for claiming officials would not let Manchester United lose.

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Álvaro Arbeloa facing FA charge

Fulham manager Álvaro Arbeloa has landed himself in hot water with the Football Association. The FA has officially charged Arbeloa with misconduct following his controversial comments after Fulham's 1-1 draw against Manchester United on September 20.

During the match at Craven Cottage, Michael Carrick's Manchester United side salvaged a late point. Matheus Cunha scored a deflected goal in the 89th minute to deny Fulham the victory. It was a lucky escape for United, who were fortunate to leave the stadium with a point.

Arbeloa was furious with the refereeing during the match. In his postmatch television interview, Arbeloa claimed that officials would "not let Manchester United lose." He has now been given until Thursday to provide a formal response to the FA charge.

The details of the charge

The FA misconduct charge alleges that the Fulham manager acted in an improper manner. According to the FA, his comments in the postmatch interview imply bias and question the integrity of a match official.

Arbeloa complained that the referee had given all fouls to Manchester United during the game. He also brought up a controversial VAR decision from the recent Manchester derby.

"I knew after the game against Man City that they [would not] let Manchester United lose here," Arbeloa said after the match.

Arbeloa took over as the manager of Fulham in the summer. However, he has yet to win a single Premier League game since his arrival.

Manchester United are also having a difficult start to their season. Michael Carrick's team has won just one game in their first five Premier League matches. That single victory was against Ipswich Town. Their other results include a loss to Hull on the opening weekend, a draw with Everton, a defeat against rivals Manchester City, and the recent draw at Fulham.

What it means for the next game

Ipswich Town vs Fulham (Premier League, Sat, 10 Oct): Ipswich Town win 37%, draw 27%, Fulham win 36%; expected goals 1.37 to 1.37. Our safest pick: Over 1.5 goals.