Wolves Sporting Director Given Ban and Fine by FA

The Football Association has handed Wolverhampton Wanderers sporting director Matt Hobbs a one-match ban and a £4,000 fine for his behavior towards referee Anthony Taylor. The incident occurred during their Premier League draw with Newcastle United at Molineux in October.

Hobbs expressed frustration and criticized the official following the match. In his report, Taylor noted that Hobbs sarcastically commented “we look forward to your apology again.” This led to misconduct charges being brought against Hobbs by the FA earlier this month.

An independent regulatory commission provided written reasons explaining their decision. They found that Hobbs had sworn at Taylor after the game, calling him “useless.” While Hobbs admitted to his actions and expressed remorse, the commission stated that his conduct clearly fell below expectations.

Hobbs explained that he became increasingly frustrated with decisions made during the game, which he believed were influenced by two previous incorrect decisions earlier in the season. One such controversial decision was when Newcastle were awarded a penalty just before half-time for an alleged foul on Fabian Schar by Hwang Hee-chan. Despite VAR checks, the decision stood, giving Newcastle a lead of 2-1 thanks to Callum Wilson’s successful spot-kick.

Notably, Wolves boss Gary O’Neil referred to this penalty as a “scandalous decision” and criticized both on-field officials’ handling of the situation. Premier League refereeing chief Howard Webb later admitted that VAR should have intervened.

This incident follows a string of controversial decisions involving Wolves, including a previously unawarded penalty during their match against Manchester United, which prompted an apology from the authorities.

Most recently, Wolves were involved in more VAR controversy during their 3-2 defeat by Fulham at Craven Cottage. O’Neil expressed his frustration with poor refereeing decisions and highlighted the impact they can have on reputations and livelihoods.

Upcoming Match: Wolves vs Arsenal

Despite these distractions, Wolverhampton Wanderers currently sit 12th in the table as they prepare to face league leaders Arsenal at Emirates Stadium this Saturday at 15:00 GMT.