Wolverhampton Wanderers boss Nuno Espirito Santo fined Sh3.7 million for referee comments

Soccer Football - Premier League - Manchester United v Wolverhampton Wanderers - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - December 29, 2020, Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Nuno Espirito Santo [Reuters, Martin Rickett]

Wolverhampton Wanderers coach Nuno Espirito Santo has been fined 25,000 pounds ($34,000) by the Football Association (FA) and warned about his future conduct after comments made about referee Lee Mason, the FA said on Wednesday.

The Portuguese was critical of Mason after his side’s 2-1 defeat by Burnley last month, saying he hoped Mason never refereed a Wolves match again and that he did “not have the quality to whistle a game in the Premier League”.

December 21, 2020, Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Nuno Espirito Santo looks dejected after the match [REUTERS]

An FA statement said Nuno had admitted his comments “constituted improper conduct as they were personally offensive” to Mason and had brought the game into disrepute.

Wolves are 13th in the Premier League standings on 22 points. They host Crystal Palace in the FA Cup third round on Friday.