Man City’s Rodri fined £80,000 for ref comments

March 9, 2026 No Comments

Man City’s Rodri fined £80,000 for ref commentsImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Rodri joined Manchester City from Atletico Madrid in 2019ByTimothy AbrahamBBC Sport JournalistPublished9 March 2026, 14:34 GMTUpdated 9 minutes agoManchester City midfielder Rodri has been fined £80,000 for comments he made about the referee after last month’s Premier League draw at Tottenham.The Spain international accused referee Robert Jones of not being “neutral” in City’s 2-2 draw on 1 February.

The Football Association stated Rodri admitted a charge that he “acted in an improper manner during a post-match media interview by making comments that imply bias and/or question the integrity of a match official and/or match officials”.

Rodri was angry that Dominic Solanke’s goal was allowed to stand after he appeared to kick through the leg of City defender Marc Guehi.

“I know we won too much and the people don’t want us to win, but the referee has to be neutral,” Rodri stated after the game.

“It’s not fair because we work so hard. When everything is finished, you are frustrated.”

The FA’s regulatory commission stated Rodri sent two letters as part of his evidence.

In the first letter he stated his words were “misunderstood and misinterpreted by some media organisations” but in the second acknowledged they were “inappropriate and fell below the standard expected”.

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

“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.

“My comments were made in a moment of frustration after a disappointing result.

“Upon reflection, I recognise that the words I used were poorly chosen and capable of being interpreted in a way that I did not intend.”