MANCHESTER UNITED have been charged by the FA for failing to control their players in the goalless draw with Newcastle on Sunday.
The Red Devils were found to be in breach of FA Rule E20.1 after Cristiano Ronaldo and his team-mates protested the decision to disallow the striker’s goal.
United have until Thursday to respond to the charge and could appeal the decision.
Ronaldo thought he had scored a perfectly valid goal after Newcastle appeared to take a free-kick deep inside their own half.
Fabian Schar tapped the ball back to Nick Pope, apparently intending for the goalkeeper to take the set-piece.
One crowd video shows Schar playing the ball a moment after the referee’s whistle could be heard.
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But Pope hesitated while deciding where to play the ball and that allowed Ronaldo to pounce.
He took the ball past Pope and fired into the empty net, which sparked bedlam.
CR7 and eight of his team-mates immediately surrounded referee Craig Pawson after he quickly ruled the goal out.
Ronaldo was particularly incensed and began shouting and gesticulating at the referee, and he was punished with a yellow card.
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Manager Erik ten Hag was also left fuming by Pawson’s decision to chalk off the goal.
He said after the match: “I don’t have a comment, everyone has seen it.
“I shared that with them (the officials). Everyone has seen what happened today on the pitch.”
But Pope explained the mix-up by claiming Schar was only passing the ball to make sure the free-kick was taken from the correct position.
He said: “The free-kick was slightly in the wrong place and obviously Fabby’s (Schar) rolled it back to me and walked off.
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“I think you know by everyone’s body language that you know he’s not meaning to take a free-kick.
“I think the referee sorted it out quickly and fair play to him for making the right decision and squashed it straight away.”
