Manchester City midfielder Rodri has been charged with misconduct by the Football Association following his comments about refereeing after City’s 2-2 draw at Tottenham earlier this month. The 29-year-old expressed frustration after Dominic Solanke’s goal stood despite appearing to make contact with defender Marc Guehi’s leg.
Rodri Questions Referee Neutrality
Although the FA did not detail the exact wording of the charge, Rodri accused referee Robert Jones of lacking neutrality. “I know we won too much and the people don’t want us to win, but the referee has to be neutral,” he said after the match.
Rodri added that the first Spurs goal could have been a turning point, saying, “It’s the first goal they score, maybe if they don’t score this goal we win the game.” He also suggested City have suffered from poor decisions repeatedly this season.
The FA alleges Rodri acted in an “improper manner” by implying bias or questioning the integrity of a match official. He has until 18 February to respond to the charge.
City’s Collapse and Player Frustrations
City led 2-0 at half-time but saw Spurs fight back with Solanke’s 53rd-minute goal and a late equalizer. Rodri, normally respectful toward referees, highlighted what he sees as repeated mistakes: “Honestly, I never speak about referees, I respect their job massively. But they have to pay attention to these things… it’s two, three games in a row and I don’t know why.”
Key Match Incidents Panel Findings
The Premier League’s Key Match Incidents Panel (KMI) reviewed the game and unanimously concluded Rodri should have been sent off. Already on a yellow card, he fouled Wilson Odobert in stoppage time, which the referee did not punish with a second booking.
The panel also supported allowing Solanke’s goal by a 4-1 vote, noting he struck the ball first before contacting Guehi. This marks the third time referee Jones has missed a second yellow card this season, having previously overlooked incidents involving Ruben Dias and Malick Thiaw.
