Nemanja Matic demands Paul Pogba to pay half of Man Utd fine
Football
By
Mirror
| Feb 26, 2021
Nemanja Matic has pointed blame at Paul Pogba for his latest training ground misdemeanour and wants the Frenchman to contribute half of his subsequently incurred fine.
As one of the elder statesmen in United's squad, the Serbian midfielder is in charge of the fines' pot, used to reprimand those who fail to adhere to the dressing room code of conduct.
And despite being more than a fait with the rules players are committed to abide by, Matic admitted he was forced to issue a financial penalty to himself for a recent offence.
“I have to say, just before the Newcastle game, I fined myself,” Matic has told United’s official website.
“I was late for a meeting by two seconds, and the rules are the same for everyone. I had to fine myself, because they catch me!"
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But rather than take his punishment on the chin, Matic wants to take one of his teammates down with him, as he claims his poor punctuality was as much Pogba's fault as it was his.
“I was late to the meeting. In front of the room [where the meeting was taking place] I was talking to Paul, so I will ask him to pay 50 per cent of my fine," he said.
"I don't know if he will accept!"
The light-hearted fines are common place in Premier League dressing rooms, with proceeds collected normally going towards the celebratory end of season bash.
Chelsea's fine list under Frank Lampard's rein was particularly notorious.
And it's not just Matic who has fallen foul of the rules at United, even though he helps set them, as fellow enforcer Harry Maguire has also let his guard slip.
“He was fined, yeah," Matic said of the United skipper.
“He brought his phone to the gym. The problem was [that] me and him, we decide what are the fines! A few days later, he brought the phone to the gym, so I said, 'Harry, I'm sorry…'.
“It's very important, discipline, in our team, so that's why we made some basic rules.
“Not to be late for training, not to be late for meetings, no phones in the gym. The guys struggled to adapt for a few months, so we had a lot of money in our account, but it's going to be better!"