The Football Association has fined Rodri £80,000 for comments he made regarding the referee following Manchester City’s Premier League tie with Tottenham Hotspur.

The Spain international chastised match official Robert Jones following the 2-2 draw on February 1, claiming the referee was not “neutral” during the game.

The FA announced that Rodri admitted to acting illegally during a post-match media interview by making remarks that inferred prejudice and called a match official’s integrity into question.

A regulatory panel later issued an £80,000 fine on the player.

Rodri was frustrated because Tottenham’s second goal, scored by Dominic Solanke, was allowed to stand despite City players’ objections.

The midfielder believed Solanke had kicked past defender Marc Guehi’s leg in the buildup to the goal.

Speaking after the match, Rodri said: “I know we won too much and the people don’t want us to win, but the referee has to be neutral. It’s not fair because we work so hard. When everything is finished, you are frustrated.”

As part of the disciplinary process, Rodri sent two letters to the FA’s regulatory panel.

In the first, he claimed that his remarks had been “misunderstood and misinterpreted by some media organisations”. However, in a subsequent letter, he acknowledged that the remarks were unacceptable.

“I wish to make clear that I did not intend to imply bias or question the integrity of the match officials,” Rodri wrote.

“I have always had, and continue to have, great respect for referees and the difficult job they undertake in a fast-moving and highly pressured environment.”

He went on to say that he made the statements out of irritation after a disappointing result, and that the terminology he used was poor.

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