Manchester City have been heavily fined by the Football Association for the behaviour of Erling Haaland and other players in the recent 3-3 draw with Tottenham.
City were fined £120,000 by the Football Association for City's match against Tottenham earlier this month after several players, including Erling Haaland, angrily surrounded referee Simon Hooper.
In the final moments of the game, Jack Grealish was broken by an opposing player with the ball, but Hooper didn't score the ball, and Haaland and several teammates were furious.
The match ended 3-3 and the City players again expressed their displeasure to Hooper at the final whistle.
The FA confirmed the fine in a statement on Monday afternoon, the statement read"Manchester City were fined £120,000 for a siege of a match by Manchester City players in the Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday 3 December.
Manchester City FC admitted they failed to ensure that the player was not misbehaved in the 94th minute. The Independent Oversight Commission imposed this penalty after a hearing"。
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola refused to condemn his player's behaviour when asked about his altercation with Hooper a few days after the game.
Pep Guardiola told reporters Guardiola told reporters:"I wonder how we should react when the last action happensMaybe Jack won't score, who knows?But I want to know from the Premier League or whatever, how we have to deal with that situation to win a tough game.
How should the players respond?If they want to punish us, we will be punished. It's okay. I assure you, all of us, if you're a player, if something like this happens, you're going to react like that.
Of course, you have to respect the referee. Tell me which player or manager doesn't respect the referee. But it's an emotion, it's a feeling. I don't see how this makes a difference. I understand my players perfectly. Our performances in the last two games against strong teams are the best proof of that. We were right there"。
PGMOL Principal Howard Webb in the latest issue of Match Officials: MIC'D Up" admits that Hooper made a mistake. He said on the show"This was a referee error. On this particular occasion, he saw a very strong, reckless foul challenge from Emerson Roy to Haaland.
This is in midfield and the ball is passed backwards. He did the hard work and just hesitated for a moment to see if it was possible to gain an advantage. But he thought about it and realized that it was a strong challenge, reckless, and that he had to be cautious.
On the ground, it's not as easy to see things unfolding as it is from above. Just as the ball was about to fly out, he decided to award a penalty, he blew the whistle and then realised it was a great opportunity. To be sure, he was very frustrated. His refereeing in 93 minutes was excellent, but he knew it would be the only topic.
Towards the end of the game, I understood City's disappointment with the decision because it was a great opportunity. He just formed the opinion of blowing the penalty at the wrong time. It looks like he's ready to play to his advantage"。
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