Fans want Erling Haaland banned for appearing to swear at referee Simon Hooper over a controversial decision in injury time of Sunday’s 3-3 draw with Tottenham.
The Norway striker was furious with Hooper for not playing an advantage in the closing moments of the thrilling Premier League game at the Etihad.
Haaland was fouled in the fifth minute of stoppage time but had managed to regain his footing to swivel and release Jack Grealish, who was clear with only the keeper to beat.
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Hooper initially appeared to acknowledge the foul and wave play on, only to blow his whistle and pull play back for a City free-kick as Grealish had been played through.
Haaland was one of several City players to furiously protest that decision, and after the game the Premier League’s top scorer also took to X, formally Twitter, to comment on the referee's mistake. Quote tweeting a clip of the incident, Haaland said “Wtf”, a written abbreviation for ‘what the f***.’
And some fans on X are now calling for Haaland to be banned for appearing to swear at the referee as he stormed off the pitch, as well as for his response to Hooper’s call on social media.
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They cited a past decision where Virgil Van Dijk was suspended for an additional match and received a £100,000 fine after admitting he had acted in an improper manner and had used abusive and insulting words towards a match official in a game against Newcastle.
One Liverpool fan said: “This is extremely offensive and abusive!”.
Another claimed: “Given the fact people believe Man City are treated favourably, will Haaland receive a ban for his attitude at the end of the game?
“Not saying he didn’t have a valid point, but you can’t do that. Van Dijk got a ban for similar, not banning Haaland would set another awful bias.”
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A third said: “Suspend him as well. If Van Dijk can get suspended and get a fine, then Haaland should get suspended as well for totally losing his mind yesterday and telling Hooper multiple times to ‘F*** off’”
A fourth said: “Remember when the FA were hell-bent on making an example with Van Dijk? Surely the same punishment for Haaland now?”
ESPN have reported that Haaland could be charged for his social media post, should it been deemed to breach the FA's Rule E3.1, governing social media comments or remarks made in the media.
Featured Image Credit: Getty/Premier LeagueTopics: Football, Erling Haaland, Manchester City, Fan Reactions, Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur