Fulham coach Álvaro Arbeloa sparked widespread controversy following his team's draw with Manchester United, after directing sharp criticism at the officiating, hinting that Premier League referees don't want to see the Red side lose, after victory slipped from his team's grasp in the closing minutes at Craven Cottage.
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Arbeloa, José Mourinho's friend and former pupil, expressed his anger at the referee's decisions during the press conference, while the Daily Mail noted that his comments could expose him to a sanction from the English Football Association.
The Spanish coach criticized the failure to award a foul committed by Harry Maguire around 35 seconds before Manchester United's equalizing goal, arguing that the decision affected the match's outcome, in a game where Fulham had come close to securing its first win of the competition.
Arbeloa said: "We were very close, but bad luck struck us again. We knew the match would be tough against a big team, but we saw what the referee did during the match."
The Spanish coach added, in a sharper tone: "Everything went their way. Just look at Harry Maguire's situation. Almost every decision went in Manchester United's favor. After the Manchester City match, I realized they don't like Manchester United losing."
Despite the disappointment, Fulham's coach defended his players' performance, saying: "We were very close to getting our first win, so we're a bit disappointed, but I think we played a good match."
He explained: "The match wasn't easy for us, especially since we were in last place, but we showed strong character in possession and had courage. We had to defend at times, but overall, we played a good match."
Fulham is enduring a difficult start under Arbeloa's leadership, as the team is still searching for its first win in the Premier League, having collected just 2 points from its first 5 matches, leaving it in the relegation zone.
Arbeloa closed by saying: "We now need to get our first win. And if we look at our opening five matches, we faced Manchester United, Chelsea, and we also played at Anfield against Liverpool and at Sunderland's ground."
Resource: Al Ghad.
