Sheffield United Coach Fined After Criticizing Referees Over Sandwich

The English Football Association has fined Sheffield United coach Chris Wilder £11,500 ($14,537) for comments he made regarding the referees in his team's defeat against Crystal Palace in the Premier League last month. Wilder was extremely frustrated with the officiating during the 3-2 loss and stated in his remarks after the match that the referees were making decisions against his team. He also accused an assistant referee of disrespect for continuing to eat a sandwich while Wilder was trying to speak to referee Tony Harrington after the match. Wilder was charged with breaching rule "E3.1," as his post-match remarks were deemed to constitute "inappropriate behavior as they imply bias or attack the integrity of the referee or referees in general or harm the reputation of the game." The FA's statement indicated that Wilder accepted the charges against him and that an independent regulatory committee imposed the fine. Wilder felt angered after goalkeeper Ivo Gerbic had to leave the game due to a concussion following a challenge from Crystal Palace's Jean-Philippe Mateta, who did not receive a booking. Sheffield United currently sits at the bottom of the league with 13 points from 25 matches.