Rodri discovers FA punishment after Man City star's astonishing referee rant

Manchester City star Rodri has managed to avoid a ban despite claiming referees 'did not want' Pep Guardiola 's side to win. The Spanish midfielder was charged for his comments last month following a controversial decision to allow Dominic Solanke 's goal in last month's draw.

He said: "I know we won too much and the people don't want us to win, but the referee has to be neutral. It's not fair because we work so hard. When everything is finished, you are frustrated."

The FA have now come to a conclusion on the punishment he will face. Alongside written reasons explaining their decision, a statement read: "An independent Regulatory Commission has sanctioned Rodri for the media comments that he made after Manchester City ’s Premier League game against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday 1 February.

"It was 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 E3.1.

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"Rodri subsequently admitted the charge against him. The Regulatory Commission imposed an £80,000 fine and warning as to future conduct following a hearing, and its written reasons for these sanctions can be seen below."

The written reasons also explained why Rodri will now not face a ban. They added: "When considering sanction, the Commission were unanimous in their view that the threshold had not been met for a playing sanction to be imposed, and it was pertinent to note that The FA did not invite the Commission to consider such a sanction."

The 29-year-old was originally set to face a £120k fine, albeit this was reduced to £80k due to 'mitigating factors'.

Rodri himself has also penned a statement. He said: "I would like to apologise again for the comments I made during my post-match interview following the fixture against Tottenham Hotspur on 1 February 2026. I fully accept that my words, as expressed, were inappropriate and fell below the standard expected of me as a professional player.

"I wish to make clear that I did not intend to imply bias or question the integrity of the match officials. I have always had, and continue to have, great respect for referees and the difficult job they undertake in a fast-moving and highly pressured environment. My comments were made in a moment of frustration after a disappointing result.

"Upon reflection, I recognise that the words I used were poorly chosen and capable of being interpreted in a way that I did not intend."

Rodri has made 24 appearances for City this season having recovered from a serious knee injury. The club currently sit second in the Premier League and seven points behind Arsenal .

Pep Guardiola's side are still in the Champions League and FA Cup , while they have also booked themselves a spot in the Carabao Cup final.