What potential punishment does Erling Haaland face after scenes with the referee during Manchester City vs Spurs?

Manchester City striker Erling Haaland could face punishment from the FA for his reaction towards the referee after the Golden Boot winner was left frustrated by the decisions made on-field by the match officials. Haaland was seen furious after the game and even went up to the referee aggressively during the game, something that is punishable under the new rules. 

Haaland, who has broken quite a few Premier League records, had a poor game according to his standards, as Tottenham came back twice to draw against Manchester City 3-3 on Sunday. Haaland failed to get on the scoresheet, as goals on both ends from Son and strikes from Lo Celso, Kulusevski, Foden, and Grealish concluded a blockbuster Premier League game.

What potential punishment does Haaland face?

Erling Haaland was seen shouting at referee Simon Hooper after the referee pulled back Jack Grealish, who was through on goal, for a foul on Haaland, for which the initial advantage was given to City. This left the whole City team furious, with Haaland posting, “wtf” on X, formerly Twitter, right after the game.

However, this action by the Ballon D’or contender could land himself in troubled waters. FA’s social media guidelines state that, according to Rule E3.1, “Comments which are improper, which bring the game into disrepute, which are threatening, abusive, indecent or insulting,” and “Comments about match officials which imply bias, attack the officials’ integrity or which are personally offensive in nature” would attract punishment upon violation.

Once Erling Haaland’s post comes to the attention of the FA, they will have a three-day window to either file a charge or request written observations before initiating an investigation. Haaland would then be given a period of three business days to submit any necessary observations.

Pep Guardiola reacts to Haaland actions

Pep Guardiola seemed disappointed at the result after the game, more than the decisions made on the field. Guardiola, who praised Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, said that he won’t talk about the referee during the press conference, unlike Arteta. 

Guardiola, in his post-match press conference, said that Erling Haaland’s reaction was “normal” and he understood the frustration. However, he added that Haaland would have been disappointed even if the referee was on City’s side, pointing towards Haaland’s performance in the match.

The draw at the Etihad pulls City down in the table to third, with them now three points behind leaders Arsenal.

Should Erling Haaland be suspended or fined for his reaction? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.