FA makes Haaland punishment decision after furious outburst

The Football Association has made a decision regarding Erling Haaland's behaviour following his furious outburst over the weekend.

Initial reports suggested that the Norwegian would be on the receiving end of punishment by the FA, but it Manchester City have been penalised as a whole instead.

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The Citizens talisman was left fuming after match referee Simon Hooper's controversial decision towards the end of the thrilling 3-3 draw between the Manchester side and Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday evening.

With the score level in stoppage time, Haaland received the ball in his own half and was fouled but chose not to go to ground. Instead, the attacker played Jack Grealish in behind the Lilywhites' defence to create a potential scoring opportunity that some believed could have affected the outcome of the game. 

However, after initially waving the play on, Hooper brought the play back to award City a free-kick. Consequently, the match official was surrounded by light blue shirts, with the Norway international front and centre, screaming at the referee.

The striker then stormed off the pitch after the final whistle, and took to social media to express his frustration at the decision, writing "wtf" in response to a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) featuring a video of the incident, with many believing he could be penalised by English football's governing body as a result. 

Instead of the marksman being singled out by the FA for his actions, however, Haaland has escaped punishment, with the organisation making the decision to hold the treble-winning club accountable for the actions of its players in the aftermath of the referee's call.

"Manchester City have been charged with a breach of FA rule E20.1 after their players surrounded the match official during the Premier League fixture against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday 3 December 2023," an FA spokesperson said in a statement.

"It's alleged that, during the 94th minute of the fixture, the club failed to ensure their players do not behave in a way which is improper.

"Manchester City have until Thursday, 7 December 2023, to respond to the charges."

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