Manchester City star facing ban after FA charge in Premier League title blow

Rodri has been charged by the Football Association for comments he made about referees following a Manchester City match.

Man City drew 2-2 at Tottenham on February 1 and he felt that Spurs’ first goal should not have stood amid a foul on Marc Guehi.

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Robert Jones was the referee and during a post-match interview with Stan Sport, Rodri appeared to question the neutrality of officials.

“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,” he said.

“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.”

And following the comments from the Spaniard, the FA have now announced that he has been charged.

Their statement reads: “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 1 February 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 until Wednesday 18 February to provide a response.”

Rodri could therefore be facing a ban from the FA for his comments.

It would come as a huge blow to Man City as the Premier League title race approaches its final weeks.

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City title challenge is back on

A winless run of four matches at the beginning of 2026 made it look as though City were all but out of the race for league glory.

However, they have continued to put pressure on leaders Arsenal and are just four points behind them with 12 matches to play.

City’s title hopes were handed a significant boost last weekend when they came from behind to beat Liverpool 2-1.

They followed it up with a 3-0 victory over Fulham on Wednesday night that reduced the gap to only three points.

Arsenal had the chance to extend it to six once again, but they had to settle for a 1-1 draw at Brentford.

City and Arsenal still have another league match against each other this season, and the result could decide the title winners.

The rivals lock horns in the Premier League on April 18 at the Etihad Stadium in what will be a pivotal clash.

They will also be meeting before that in the Carabao Cup final on March 22.