Nuno Espirito Santo Face English F.A Charges
Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo has been charged by the Football Association for his recent criticism of referee Lee Mason. The surprise package was given him based on the comment he made after his side’s 2-1 lose to Burnley.
Nuno Espirito Santo said after Wolves’ 2-1 defeat at Burnley on 21 December that Mason “is not good enough” to officiate at the top level.
The Portuguese manager subsequently said no to apologizing for his comment. The English FA allege his comments “constitute improper conduct” as they were “personally offensive” to the referee Mason.
Nuno Espirito Santo has been given from now till Tuesday, the 5th of January to respond to the charge. Before the charge was announced, Nuno said he regretted the “timing” of his criticism but that he would “never question the integrity” of an official and was making a comment on the “ability” of the referee.
Under current FA regulations, post-match comments that criticise the performance or competence of a match official are permitted unless they imply bias, attack the official’s integrity, are personally offensive, are prolonged, or are particularly unreasonable.