Matt Doherty might face a FIFA charge after appearing to suggest that Portugal was helped to earn all the points against his country in their World Cup qualifier recently.
The Republic of Ireland raced into a 1-0 lead at the home of the Euro 2016 winners and they held on to that lead until the 89th minute when Cristiano Ronaldo scored an equaliser.
The Manchester United man scored yet another goal in added time to break Irish hearts and turn the game on its head.
Most Ireland fans would have been dreaming of their country earning a famous win as that game went on, but it wasn’t to be and Doherty felt the Portuguese may have been given a helping hand.
As reported by RTE, he claimed that something didn’t feel right as the game progressed and their host would probably have been given a chance to get something from the match if Ronaldo had not stepped up to score.
Former Premier League referee, Keith Hackett says his words could land him in trouble.
“There’s no doubt that he is questioning the integrity of the referee,” Hackett told Football Insider.
“As the authorities, I would ask for the player’s observations to determine whether or not he’s going to be charged.
“At the same time, I think the authorities might just want to look. I would never question the integrity of the referee but you can question the competence.
“This is where the player has made the mistake. You get referees who have off games like players do. Don’t question his integrity, question his competence.
“He can say ‘I thought the referee had an indifferent game’. There are ways of getting that message across rather than questioning the integrity of the match official.”