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Benitez cleared of charges as FA criticised

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has been cleared of charges made against him by the Football Association relating to comments made about referee Phil Dowd in the Reds’ 2-1 defeat at Tottenham on the opening day of the season.

Tottenham 2-1 Liverpool
Benitez dismayed by referee Dowd

Dowd’s decision to wave play on enfuriated assistant manager Sammy Lee, who was ordered out of the dug-out minutes later.

After the game, Benitez told reporters, “Everybody could see there was a penalty against Voronin. It was so clear, it is unbelievable. With this referee, I knew another penalty was impossible.”

Benitez was also only warned over a gesture of glasses made “in a non-malicious and humorous manner” according to the independent Commission.

The Commission also made note of how the FA “failed to charge another manager who had made a similar gesture the same weekend.”