Wolves chief hit with misconduct charge following alleged tunnel spat after Man City defeat… 11 months on from calling referee ‘absolutely f***ing useless’

Wolves sporting director Matt Hobbs has been charged with misconduct after their 2-1 defeat by Man City.

Gary O’Neil’s side suffered a heartbreaking loss to City on Sunday, with John Stones scoring a controversial 95th minute winner.

The defender’s header had initially been ruled out for offside, before referee Chris Kavanagh decided to award it on review when he ruled that Bernardo Silva was not impeding Jose Sa.

This led to a furious reaction from Wolves, with O’Neil later claiming there may be an unconscious bias from referees towards the top six – comments that the FA have asked him to explain.

Wolves’ anger didn’t stop there, with Hobbs having subsequently landed himself in hot water for ‘allegedly acting in an improper manner and/or using abusive words towards the match official/s’.

Wolves were left furious after John Stones’ late header was controversially awarded as a goal

It had initially been ruled out for offside, before Chris Kavanagh changed his mind on review

An FA statement read: ‘Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Sporting Director (Matt Hobbs) has been charged with misconduct following their Premier League match against Manchester City on Sunday, 20 October. 

‘Matt Hobbs allegedly acted in an improper manner and/or used abusive words towards the match official/s around the tunnel area after the final whistle. He has until Monday, 28 October, to respond.’

This is not the first time that Hobbs, who has been Wolves’ sporting director since November 2022 after joining the club in 2015, has found himself in trouble with the FA.

Just last season, Hobbs was handed a one-game ban for calling referee Anthony Taylor ‘absolutely f***ing useless’ following Wolves’ 2-2 draw with Newcastle on October 28, 2022.

It came after Newcastle were awarded a contentious penalty when Hwang Hee-chan was adjudged to have fouled Newcastle’s Fabian Schar, with Callum Wilson scoring the spot kick. 

Taylor had alleged that Hobbs walked past him as he was heading back into the tunnel before he said: ‘Absolutely f****** useless as usual.’

Taylor had subsequently told Hobbs his attitude was unacceptable, with Hobbs then biting back.

Hobbs – who received a one-match ban last season for misconduct – was accused of ‘allegedly acting in an improper manner and/or using abusive words towards the match official/s’

Kavanagh found himself at the centre of controversy after the dramatic late decision

Gary O’Neil was furious, claiming there may be an unconscious bias towards the top six

Taylor and his assistants Adam Nunn and Gary Beswick alleged the Wolves chief then said: ‘We look forward to your apology again.’

Hobbs was subsequently charged with misconduct and handed a £4,000 fine on top of the suspension.

Wolves, who remain winless in the Premier League this season, are back in action on Saturday when they travel to Brighton.