Fulham head coach Alvaro Arbeloa charged by FA over Manchester United comments

Fulham head coach Alvaro Arbeloa has been charged with misconduct by the Football Association over remarks he made after his side’s Premier League draw with Manchester United.

The FA alleges Arbeloa made improper comments during a post-match interview which implied bias and questioned the integrity of a match official.

The Spaniard spoke after Manchester United scored a late equaliser at Craven Cottage, denying Fulham victory. His comments referred to the controversial Manchester derby that had taken place shortly before the match.

Erling Haaland scored the winning goal for Manchester City in that game, despite VAR not intervening over an offside involving Enzo Fernandez.

Following United’s late leveller, Arbeloa said: “Every decision was for them and I knew after the game against Man City that [the officials would not] let Manchester United lose here.”

The FA’s case will consider whether the Fulham manager’s words amounted to an improper suggestion of bias or called into question the integrity of the match official.

Arbeloa has been given until Thursday, October 1 to respond to the charge.

The incident comes during Arbeloa’s first season in charge of Fulham after he took over as head coach of the Premier League club, and represents an early disciplinary issue during his time in the Craven Cottage dugout.