Neil Warnock has hit out at the Football Association over the £2,000 fine imposed on him for telling his players not to shake the hand of referee Mark Halsey at the end of Leeds United’s recent defeat to Millwall.
Warnock said he was “bewildered” by the FA’s decision to cite and punish him for improper conduct over the incident at the New Den on November 18.
The United manager admitted a breach of FA rule E3 but attempted to avoid any tangible penalty by submitting a written explanation to the FA.
Warnock was spared a touchline ban but told to pay the standard fine of £2,000 after an independent regulatory commission reviewed his case on Wednesday morning.
Clarification
“I’m bewildered,” he said. “I’ve asked for clarification because I don’t understand why me asking the players not to shake the referee’s hand has cost me two grand. Surely I can talk to my players.”
Halsey incensed Warnock by sending off winger Luke Varney during the second half of a 1-0 defeat in London.
Varney, who caught Millwall’s Adam Smith with an elbow to the neck, will serve the final game of a three-match ban for violent conduct during tomorrow’s derby at Huddersfield Town.
Warnock was also critical of Halsey for failing to award Leeds a penalty while the fixture was goalless, but the FA’s charge against him did not refer to comments made by the Leeds boss in his post-match interviews.
Television images captured Warnock ordering his players to refuse to shake Halsey’s hand shortly after the final whistle but the 63-year-old said: “It’s probably the least ever of all my charges.
“I’ve been clearing out my garage over the last 12 months and I’ve had some really dramatic charges in my career. But that’s not one of them.”
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