Manchester City midfielder Rodri has been accused of inappropriate conduct by the Football Association after making post-match comments about the referee during a 2-2 draw away to Tottenham Hotspur earlier this month.
The FA confirmed on Friday that the Spanish international had been accused of inappropriate behavior during an interview with the media, making comments that suggested bias and/or questioned the integrity of match officials.
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Rodri has until February 18 to respond to the charges.
The 29-year-old has spoken out after Dominic Solanke’s controversial goal sparked the fury of City’s players after they led 2-0 at half-time at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Solanke’s first-time goal was allowed despite Rodri believing the Tottenham striker had kicked through the legs of Manchester City defender Mark Gay during the attack.
While the FA did not specify the exact quote, Rodri said after the game that referee Robert Jones was not “neutral”.
“I know we won too much and people didn’t want us to win, but the referee has to be neutral,” Rodri said.
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He also claimed that many of City’s decisions this season have been wrong and urged officials to pay more attention to key moments.
City’s frustration centered on Solanke’s opener early in the second half, which changed the momentum of the game, before the forward completed the comeback to earn Spurs a point.
The Premier League Critical Match Incident Panel later voted 4-1 in favor of the decision to allow Solanke to score the first goal.
The panel said Solanke kicked the ball first and then made contact with Gersh because both players arrived at the same time.
However, the panel agreed that Rodri should have been sent off in injury time.
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Rodri, who had already received a yellow card, brought down Wilson Odobert at the last moment, but Jones did not show a second yellow card.
The panel said the foul stopped a promising attack and should have resulted in a second warning.
The allegation leaves Rodri facing potential disciplinary action, with previous cases showing players can be punished for public comments that question a referee’s integrity.
Manchester City currently sit second in the Premier League table and continue to chase leaders Arsenal, with the title race getting increasingly fierce as the season enters its final stages.
