Neil Warnock Fined £9,000 for Comments Following Match vs. Chelsea

Crystal Palace manager Neil Warnock avoided a suspension from the Football Associaton for his behaviour and comments following his team's 2-1 loss against Chelsea, with the FA deciding to fine him £9,000 and giving him an official warning regarding future conduct.    

Sky Sports broke the news Wednesday:

The FA later released a statement, confirming Warnock denied the charges:

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Warnock was charged following media comments he made after the game against Chelsea on 18 October 2014 which The FA alleged implied the match referee was motivated by bias; and/or brought the game into disrepute.

The charge, which Warnock denied at a personal hearing, was found proven and he was also warned as to his future conduct.

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Warnock was furious with the officials following his team's loss against the Blues and ordered his players not to shake the referee's hand, before making claims Chelsea influenced the decisions, via BBC Sport:

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The one thing I've not missed when I've been doing media work is refereeing performances like that.

I thought he was influenced today. He had four Chelsea players around him.

[...]For the second booking Remy dives and then you have four Chelsea players surrounding the referee. I thought those days were gone - banned.

I think the four lads around him made his mind up for him.

I don't think the referee has a defence. I don't really want to talk about him. All things being even, I thought we would have got a result.

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While Warnock is hardly the first manager to speak out on an official's performance, the decision to order his players not to shake hands with the referee didn't sit well with fans and pundits. Garth Crooks told BBC Sport such actions are indefensible:

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I don't think Neil Warnock or any manager has the right to tell his players whether or not to shake the referee's hand. For a manager to go on the pitch and do that is disgusting. The manager should be taking the lead on behaviour of his players.

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Warnock has never been one to mince his words, and with Crystal Palace sitting dangerously close to the relegation zone, the pressure to perform is squarely on his shoulders.

As a result, his outbursts in the direction of the officials have become somewhat of a recurring joke. ESPN FC's John Brewin can spot them from a mile away:

The Press Association's Martyn Ziegler has his own theory:

The FA's statement makes no mention of Warnock's actions on the pitch, ordering his players not to shake hands with the officiating crew. Implying bias is obviously a serious charge, and one the FA won't take lightly, but it is surprising the on-pitch behaviour was overlooked.   

Most fans and pundits appeared more upset with that than the actual post-match comments, which seem to be made by a multitude of managers in stadiums around the country on a weekly basis.

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