Manchester United slapped with five-figure fine after spat involving Cristiano Ronaldo against Newcastle
Manchester United will face a hefty fine of £42,000 due to an incident involving Cristiano Ronaldo in their Premier League clash against Newcastle United.
The Red Devils were held to a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford on October 16. However, during the game, Ronaldo stole the ball from a free-kick situation for Newcastle and found the back of the net.
League games Ronaldo has started in 22/23
4-0 vs Brentford (A)❌
0-0 vs Newcastle (H) 🤝
1-0 vs West Ham (H) ✅
3-1 vs Aston Villa (A) ❌
4 games, GD of -5, 0.33 PPG
He has 0 G/A in those 4 games
He isn't saving us from relegation.. if he started every game we'd get relegated. https://t.co/jiouzv8Fcj
The goal was not given and Manchester United players surrounded the referee to show their protest. They believed that Toons' defender Fabian Schar had touched the ball before the Portuguese forward showed his presence of mind.
United have been handed a hefty five-figure fine as the FA issued a statement, saying:
"[Manchester Unuted] Failed to ensure its players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion." (via Chronicle Live)
The Magpies' goalkeeper Nick Pope also shared his take on the incident, as he previously said:
"The free-kick was slightly in the wrong place and obviously Fabby’s [Schar] rolled it back to me and walked off. I think you know by everyone’s body language that you know he’s not meaning to take a free-kick. I think the referee sorted it out quickly and fair play to him for making the right decision and squashed it straight away."
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand opined on Cristiano Ronaldo's poor form
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner hasn't been at his best for Manchester United so far this season. The Portuguese attacker has struggled for form and has scored only three goals and provided two assists in 16 games in all competitions.
Rio Ferdinand, however, doesn't want to judge his former teammate yet, as he said on the Vibe with Five podcast (via Manchester Evening News):
"Time will tell this season, when you look at the end of the season in terms of goals and what he's given back to the team, Listen, there's peaks and troughs in the season, there's ups and downs in terms of form. Cristiano Ronaldo, right now, isn't hitting the net like you're accustomed to seeing with Cristiano."
He added:
"The thing is as well, he's probably fighting for fitness right now, not to be giving him an excuse. If he goes to the World Cup and plays, he might come back in a better condition than when he left. You don't know. You're judging players on goals, I think Cristiano Ronaldo will always judge himself on goals. He didn't score at the weekend just gone, so that will have to be taken into account for the next game."
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We move on and we keep going after our goals this season! Thanks to our supporters that never give up on us!👏🏽 https://t.co/KPXpPz2Jng