Tottenham Hotspur’s Matt Doherty could be charged by FIFA for his comments whilst on international duty with Republic of Ireland, according to a former top flight referee.
The Lowdown: Another issue for Tottenham
Doherty’s problem isn’t the first issue Spurs players have had over the current international break after Giovani Le Celso, Cristian Romero and Davinson Sanchez’s drama with Argentina and Columbia.
The Irish defender has started in both of Ireland‘s World Cup qualifying games so far during the international break, losing 2-1 to Portugal and drawing 1-1 at home to Azerbaijan.
Doherty could now face a charge for his comments on the officials during the defeat in Portugal, where Cristiano Ronaldo scored a late brace to win the game for the hosts.
The Latest: What was said?
In an interview with RTE, Doherty spoke about the game with the 2016 European Championship winners, claiming those who watched the game would “feel uncomfortable with certain things that went on”.
Speaking to Football Insider, former Premier League referee Keith Hackett has claimed the Spurs defender has questioned the integrity of the officials and could be facing a charge. He said: “There’s no doubt that he is questioning the integrity of the referee.
“As the authorities, I would ask for the player’s observations to determine whether or not he’s going to be charged.
“At the same time, I think the authorities might just want to look. I would never question the integrity of the referee but you can question the competence.
“This is where the player has made the mistake. You get referees who have off games like players do. Don’t question his integrity, question his competence.”
The Verdict: More concerns for Spurs
Doherty has only played seven minutes of Premier League football this season, alongside a full 90 minutes in both legs against Pacos de Ferreira in the UEFA Conference League.
But the issue piles on top of the problems the club have already had with the South American contingent recently. It won’t be as much drama or cause Spurs the same problems, but it is yet again far from ideal.
Ireland will now host Serbia in an important game in their qualifying group, and time will tell whether the wing-back suffers the consequences of his words.
In other Spurs news, a Sky Sports pundit has doubts over fresh contract rumours for star. Find out more here.
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