Man City midfielder Rodri faces potential ban over referee remarks

Manchester City midfielder Rodri faces a potential ban after allegedly questioning the integrity of officials.

The Spain international said referees “have to be neutral” after City’s 2-2 draw at Tottenham in the Premier League on February 1.

The Football Association announced on Friday that the Spain international had been charged with misconduct over his remarks, which were made in a TV interview with an Australian broadcaster.

City, who had led the game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium 2-0, were frustrated that Dominic Solanke’s first goal in Spurs’ fightback was not disallowed for a foul on Marc Guehi by referee Robert Jones.

Rodri told Stan Sport: “I know we won too much and the people don’t want us to win but the referee has to be neutral and for me honestly, it’s not fair.

“It’s not fair because we work so hard in these situations and now to make these decisions, we have to move on.

“Of course you need to come back but at the end, when everything is finished, we are frustrated because it’s so clear, the foul.”

A statement from the FA read: “Manchester City’s Rodri has been charged with misconduct in relation to comments that he made after their Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday February 1, 2026.

“It’s alleged that the midfielder 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, contrary to FA Rule 3.1.”

Rodri has been given until Wednesday, February 18, to respond.

The matter will be adjudicated by an independent panel with suspension a potential sanction.

In 2023, then Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was handed a touchline ban after suggesting referee Paul Tierney had “something against” his side.

City, meanwhile, could be without top scorer Erling Haaland for Saturday’s FA Cup fourth-round tie against neighbours Salford at the Etihad Stadium.

The Norwegian was taken off at half-time during Wednesday’s 3-0 defeat of Fulham with what manager Pep Guardiola described as “niggles” accumulated during the recent heavy fixture schedule.

The issue is not serious but Guardiola may be unwilling to risk his star man against the Sky Bet League Two side, whom City thrashed 8-0 in the third round last season.

“He’s not 100 per cent but we will see today how he feels,” said Guardiola. “It’s not a big issue, the doctor said to me, but he had some disturbances during the game and that’s why he didn’t play in the second half.”

Defender John Stones could feature after more than two months out with a thigh injury.

The England centre-back was an unused substitute in midweek.

Guardiola said: “It was a long two months but fortunately he’s made two or three training sessions and we will see if he plays and how many minutes he plays.”