According to an ex-PGMOL boss, James Maddison is poised to face charges from the FA after a tweet he sent during Tottenham’s victory against West Ham United. Spurs continued their strong start to life under Thomas Frank with a commanding performance at the London Stadium in the first post-Daniel Levy encounter.
Keith Hackett Delivers Verdict on Madison Tweet
After Romero’s header was ruled off, Maddison posted on X, “Honestly, the referees and VAR have had an absolute shocker of a start to the season.” If that goal is disallowed for a foul, there will never be another corner taken without the referee blowing for anything.”
Publicly criticizing officials in this manner is asking for trouble, and former Premier League referee Keith Hackett believes that the England international may be made an example of.
“I hope we never prevent players from voicing their opinions. I agree with his assessment that the season has not begun well for match officials. I believe Maddison will face charges. The FA certainly monitors remarks made on social media at all levels of the game.”
The FA has a history of punishing social media users, with Nottingham Forest fined £750,000 for releasing a statement stating that Stuart Attwell was prejudiced against them in a defeat to Everton during the 2023-2024 season.
If Maddison is sanctioned, it appears doubtful that he will be barred from playing, given the 28-year-old is expected to spend a significant amount of time on the bench. The playmaker suffered another anterior cruciate ligament injury during Spurs’ preseason training. It was later verified that he had surgery.
While no exact schedule has been provided for Maddison’s prospective return, the spring of 2026 has been identified as a possible timeframe, with the focus then shifting to his reaching full fitness ahead of the 2026/2027 season.
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