Man City charged by English FA after Erling Haaland, others surrounded ref

Manchester City was charged Monday after Erling Haaland and other players surrounded the referee because the match official failed to play advantage for a potential scoring chance late in the 3-3 draw with Tottenham in the English Premier League.

The English Football Association alleged that City “failed to ensure their players do not behave in a way which is improper.”

Haaland was particularly angry with referee Simon Hooper’s decision to not play advantage and continued his complaints after the final whistle, expressing his frustration in a post on X — formerly known as Twitter — when responding to video of the stoppage-time incident. The FA didn’t say Haaland would face separate action for his conduct.

Haaland was brought down by Tottenham defender Emerson Royal as City went in search of a winner after Dejan Kulusevski’s 90th-minute equalizer. As the striker got back to his feet, Hooper appeared to gesture for play to carry on, with Haaland releasing Grealish with a pass. It was then that Hooper blew his whistle.

The FA said City had until Thursday to respond to the charge.

Reporting by The Associated Press.