Phil SumblerAs you would expect both Middlesbrough and Neil Warnock have been charged by the FA following the fall out from last weekend’s clash at the Liberty.
The visitors were incensed by the award of a penalty to the Swans in the last minute of stoppage time as well as other decisions during the game, one of which saw what they felt was a perfectly legitimate equaliser ruled out in the second half.
Players and management surrounded the referee at the final whistle and it has resulted in them being charged with a breach of conduct related to rule E20 by the Football Association.
The FA alleges a failure of the club to “conduct themselves in an orderly fashion” following the final whistle.
The breach of E20 in the FA rulebook relates to any misconduct of person or persons connected with the club from directors and players to staff and supporters which relate to “improper, violent, threatening, abusive, indecent, insulting or provocative words or behaviour”.
Warnock would have known his comments would result in this when he spoke post match at which he said “I think with ten minutes gone, Manning took Dijksteel out and not one of the four officials saw it, and it ended up him coming off injured. He’s deliberately kicked out at him and has taken him down.
“Bola’s goal is a certain goal, it’s either a penalty to us or a certain goal, but because the kid dives he gives it as if they’re diving.
“He gets the ball Bolasie so it should be a penalty or a goal, where do you go from there? How do I not come on here and not get fined, it’s just the worst afternoon for many, many weeks.
“We have had a few of these, you saw the penalty the other night at Stoke City, never a penalty in a million years and they won the game so by that reckoning they will get promoted if they get the right referees.”
He then went onto make a tongue in cheek comment about Steve Cooper’s father calling in favours.
