Fulham manager Álvaro Arbeloa has been charged with misconduct by the FA after claiming referees “refused to let Manchester United lose”.
The Spaniard wasn’t happy with decision-making from officials after United salvaged a late 1-1 draw against his side last week.
Fulham had taken the lead through a Lisandro Martinez own goal and looked to be headed for their first win of the season before Matheus Cunha‘s late strike.
The former Real Madrid coach said: “Every decision was for them and I knew after the game against Man City that they would not let Man United lose. We deserved a little bit more.
“We were so, so close. We were a little bit unlucky again. We knew it would be difficult against this big team.
“We knew what happened last week. We have seen what the referee has been doing in all the matches, so it was a difficult game. And we were unlucky.”
The FA have now charged Arbeloa for his choice of words.
A statement read: “Alvaro Arbeloa has been charged with misconduct for comments made after the Premier League fixture between Fulham and Manchester United on Sunday 20 September.
“It is alleged that the Fulham manager acted in an improper manner by making comments in a post-match interview that imply bias and/or question the integrity of a match official.
“Alvaro Arbeloa has until Thursday 1 October to provide a response.”
Arbeloa – who only joined Fulham in July – toned down his comments in a press conference after the United game.
He said: “My English is not so good. Maybe I explain myself so bad and I prefer not to say anything about the referees because you never know.”
The result continued Fulham’s winless start to the season since Arbeloa’s arrival.
The Whites are currently second bottom in the Premier League table after two draws and three defeats.
They opened with a 3-2 home defeat to Chelsea before losing 1-0 away at Sunderland.
Another 3-2 home loss to Crystal Palace followed but Fulham did pick up an impressive point away to Liverpool before drawing to United.