Facing FA Charges, Erling Haaland’s “F**k Off’ Rant Wasn’t For Referee Simon Hopper, But Directed at Tottenham Lo Celso 

It’s gotten a bit annoying for Manchester City in the last few weeks. Yesterday, it lost a goal advantage twice to settle for a draw against Tottenham Hotspurs. The match also saw a controversial referee decision that got on Erling Haaland’s nerves, leading him to shout slurs at the end of the game. But did the Norwegian offend the referee?

The English Premier League Champions have lost some crucial points against some strong teams recently. And the frustration is clearly showing up. But the Norwegian could be blasted for crossing the line with his expressions.

Erling Haaland’s gestures clarified

The Norwegian has been in terrific form, breaking records, but the player chooses his mood according to the club’s performance. The 23-year-old was seen shouting ‘f**koff‘ slurs after the game. Initially giving the impression of calling out the referee, the reports now claim that he intended it towards Spurs’ player Giovani Lo Celso.

The drama started when Haaland was taken down by defender Emerson Royal in the dying minutes of the game. The referee, who initially decided to continue the advantage, rethought his decision to award a free kick. Simon Hooper’s sudden switch surprised the whole team and the fans. Furious of being deprived a game-changing advantage for Jack Grealish, Haaland’s upset led him to argue with the referee.

Things got more serious when he walked away shouting slurs, which viewers seemed to misjudge according to the claims. The issue did not stop there, as Haaland went and took it to Twitter. The player quoted ‘WTF’ on a Twitter (now X) post with a clip of the incident. Things could not get worse for the Cityzens. Now the FA could charge the UEFA Player of the Year 2023 for breaking Rule E3.1, which deals with social media behavior.

Things slipping out of hand for Manchester City

The draw against the London team slid the Treble winners to third place in the league. Dejan Kulusevsky’s header in the 90th minute exposed Pep Guardiola’s vulnerability. The team has given away the last few games despite having a goal advantage. The last-minute decisive giveaways by the team are getting them a lot of criticism from the experts.

READ MORE – 5 Times Simon Hooper Angered Premier League Fans With Controversial Decisions

Earlier, former City player and analyst Micah Richards felt something was not going right on the pitch and the team’s defense. Haaland, even though he provided two assists might still feel he could have done better with his chances. Even though the team rose up from a similar situation last year, this year has more teams giving them a tough fight.

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