Igor Tudor’s post-match comments about referee Thomas Bramall and Fulham’s Raul Jimenez could spell trouble for Igor Tudor after a poor start as Tottenham manager.
Igor Tudor was furious after Tottenham’s defeat (Image: Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images)
Tottenham manager Igor Tudor risks being punished by the FA for criticizing the referee during Spurs’ 2-1 away defeat to Fulham on Sunday. Tudor, 47, made harsh comments after the match, including labeling Fulham striker Raul Jimenez a “fraud”.
The Croatian took charge of Tottenham two weeks ago and lost both games, leaving them 16th in the Premier League and just four points clear of the relegation zone. Spurs fell behind after just seven minutes when Harry Wilson broke the deadlock against Craven Cottage.
But Tudor was unhappy with some of the build-up to the goal, claiming Jimenez fouled Tottenham centre-back Radu Dragusin. This is similar to what happened in last weekend’s north London derby, when Spurs were controversially denied a goal by Randall Kolo Muani who pushed Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhães.
“Of course I think it was a foul,” Tudor said of Sunday’s incident. “Nine out of 10 people would say this is a foul, because it’s so obvious.
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“Sometimes they don’t understand that enough is enough. Even a small contact, if it gives you an advantage to score a goal, you need to cancel this and end it. When he’s soft, no, when he pushes with his hands and doesn’t see the ball, it’s not a normal duel thing. Sometimes it’s easy to get an advantage.”
The former Juventus manager also criticized referee Thomas Bramall’s performance, saying: “I didn’t like the referee today too much as the home team’s referee. I felt bad. All the decisions were on their side. He doesn’t understand football, the sense of what’s wrong and what’s right.”
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Igor Tudor slams Thomas Bramall’s performance (Image: Eddie Keogh/Getty Images)
His comments about Bramall could be considered a breach of FA rules. Rule E3 covers inappropriate behavior, insulting language, or bringing the game into disrepute.
But Tudor didn’t stop there, doubling down on Wilson’s goal. “It would be foolish not to give him a foul, because the consequences are too big. It’s not just a small foul in the middle of the pitch, it’s the goal that follows,” he added.
“There’s logic there. So referee, it’s great to keep playing here, let’s play strong, duel, great, I like it. But there’s logic, if the goal is to score, he doesn’t think about the football, he doesn’t think about the ball, he doesn’t think about the ball, he doesn’t think about the ball, he takes advantage of the goal.”
Raul Jimenez ‘cheated’ in goal (Image: Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images)
“He deceived the players, pushed them and scored goals. So it’s logic, there’s cheating, there’s fouls. This isn’t about duels, they want the football here to be tougher and we like duels, but there’s nothing like that. There was no logic in this decision, logic comes first and then other things come.”
Tottenham next face Crystal Palace on Thursday. By then, Tudor’s team could be in 17th place, just one point above the drop zone.
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