Football
Jonathan Smith, Manchester City correspondent 7y

Man City's Bacary Sagna fined over social media post about referee

Manchester City's Bacary Sagna has been fined £40,000 by the Football Association following a social media post that may have questioned referee Lee Mason's integrity following the 2-1 victory over Burnley earlier this month.

Press Association Sport has reported that City are considering whether to appeal against the punishment.

City's Fernandinho was sent off, which led to Sagna writing "10 against 12.. but still fighting and winning as a team'' on Instagram.

The post was later amended to read "still fighting and winning as a team," but he was charged with misconduct by the FA.

A statement from the governing body read: "Bacary Sagna has been fined £40,000 for misconduct in relation to a comment posted on social media.

"The Manchester City defender was also warned as to his future conduct, following the Independent Regulatory Commission hearing.

"The player was charged in that his comment questioned the integrity of the match official and/or alleged and/or implied bias on the part of the match official, and/or brought the game into disrepute contrary to Rule E3 (1)."

City were annoyed by some of Mason's decisions during the game. The first major talking point was the sending off of Fernandinho after 32 minutes, while City also felt Burnley's goal should have been disallowed for a foul on Claudio Bravo.

The FA has rules in place concerning social media, with participants not permitted to question the integrity of officials.

^ Back to Top ^