Azpilicueta jokes he will pay Warnock’s fine after scoring goal that made Cardiff manager rage
CHELSEA skipper Cesar Azpilicueta has joked he will pay Neil Warnock’s fine after causing the Bluebirds gaffer’s rage with his offside goal.
Warnock, 70, has been ordered to pay £20,000 by the FA for criticising the officials in post-match interviews following Chelsea’s 2-1 victory over the Prem strugglers in March.
Cardiff were leading 1-0 before Azpilicueta equalised six minutes from time, with replays showing the Spaniard was in an offside position.
The Blues then went onto winning the game thanks to an injury-time goal from sub Ruben Loftus-Cheek – prompting Warnock to lash out at the officials.
Azpilicueta, 29, admits that even he had doubts whether his goal should have stood.
And he joked that, to make amends, he would pay the Bluebirds boss’ fine.
The Spaniard said: “We will talk in private about sending him money.
“I was there in the middle because I was the one who scored the goal.
“When I scored, I looked at the linesman. I thought I was on the edge.”
WAR OF WARDS
Warnock denied all three FA charges of improper conduct, but was nevertheless found guilty after an independent regulatory commission hearing on Wednesday.
The governing body said in statements his comments in post-match with the BBC, SkySports and on talkSPORT radio the day after “were found to constitute improper conduct and/or bring the game into disrepute”.
Warnock felt his relegation-threatened side were robbed of key three points against Chelsea.
And he said following the game: “It’s the best league in the world but the worst officials.
“They don’t understand what is at stake. They shouldn’t make mistakes at this level.”
“It’s almost like not a matter of who you play, but who you get in the middle and who has a flag.
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“It’s all right making genuine mistakes but, at this level, it shouldn’t happen. Not when you put so much into a game. It’s a sickener.”
The following day, Warnock said on talkSPORT: “When I came home, my wife said to me, ‘Darling, if you had wanted to thump the referee and linesman, I wouldn’t have stopped you’.
“It was so unjust. It’s unbelievable. I can’t describe my feelings.”