Fulham's Silva hit with further FA charge
Published
The fallout from Fulham's meltdown in their FA Cup quarterfinals loss to Manchester United on Mar. 19 continued on Monday.
Manager Marco Silva was hit with a further charge by the FA for his post-match remarks.
English football's governing body alleges the comments "constitute improper conduct in that they imply bias and/or question the integrity of the match official, and/or bring the game into disrepute" after he, along with Willian and Aleksandar Mitrovic, was sent off in the 3-1 defeat.
After the match, Silva took umbrage with the way referee Chris Kavanagh had officiated the Cottagers' matches this season.
"Our story with Chris Kavanagh this season has been tough for us," Silva said. "Unfortunately, we have been very unlucky with him this season. Many moments. It is difficult to understand some of the decisions. We had that West Ham game away from home [a 3-1 defeat in October]. We lost the game with two clear handball goals and it was Chris Kavanagh in that moment. Today, everyone saw what is happening in this game. It is difficult for them to not look for these things."
Silva, 45, had already been charged with abusive behaviour towards Kavanagh, as well as improper conduct for allegedly throwing a water bottle towards an assistant referee.
In the 70th minute of the match at Old Trafford with Fulham leading 1-0, a Jadon Sancho effort on goal was blocked at the goal line by Willian. As United players appealed to Kavanagh for handball, the VAR officials called down to the referee to go to the pitchside monitor for a review. Replays showed that the ball was kept out of the net by Willian's hand. Kavanagh gave Willian a straight red for denying a goal-scoring opportunity and awarded a penalty to United. The decision incensed both Silva and Mitrovic, who angrily confronted Kavanagh and shoved him in the shoulder to earn his dismissal.
Last week, the FA announced it was seeking a significant ban for the 28-year-old Serbia striker, who is already set to miss the next four matches thanks to a second red card on the season.