{"id":47054,"date":"2026-05-12T20:18:16","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T00:18:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/05\/12\/james-maddison-at-risk-of-fa-punishment-for-what-he-posted-on-instagram-after-leeds-controversy\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T20:18:16","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T00:18:16","slug":"james-maddison-at-risk-of-fa-punishment-for-what-he-posted-on-instagram-after-leeds-controversy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/05\/12\/james-maddison-at-risk-of-fa-punishment-for-what-he-posted-on-instagram-after-leeds-controversy\/","title":{"rendered":"James Maddison at risk of FA punishment for what he posted on Instagram after Leeds controversy"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_74 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/05\/12\/james-maddison-at-risk-of-fa-punishment-for-what-he-posted-on-instagram-after-leeds-controversy\/#James_Madison_slams_%E2%80%98frightened_referees_on_Instagram\" >James Madison slams &#8216;frightened&#8217; referees on Instagram<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/05\/12\/james-maddison-at-risk-of-fa-punishment-for-what-he-posted-on-instagram-after-leeds-controversy\/#The_FA_could_take_action_against_Maddison_over_doubts_about_official_integrity\" >The FA could take action against Maddison over doubts about official integrity<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<!-- Article Start --><\/p>\n<p><strong>James Maddison risked possible disciplinary action from the FA after criticizing the referee and VAR&#8217;s failure to award Tottenham a penalty during their 1-1 draw with Leeds United. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The midfielder, making his long-awaited return from an anterior cruciate ligament injury, was at the center of a controversial stoppage-time incident that could drastically change Spurs&#8217; survival prospects.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Download the official CaughtOffSide app to get all the latest news and updates straight to your phone. above <span role=\"presentation\"><u>apple<\/u><\/span>  &#038; <span role=\"presentation\"><u>Google play<\/u><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 data-path-to-node=\"3\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"James_Madison_slams_%E2%80%98frightened_referees_on_Instagram\"><\/span>James Madison slams &#8216;frightened&#8217; referees on Instagram<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The incident occurred in the 103rd minute when Maddison collapsed in the box following a challenge from Leeds striker Lucas Nmeka.<\/p>\n<p>Tottenham Hotspur Stadium stood up to demand a spot-kick, but the referee rejected the appeal and the decision was later upheld by VAR on the basis that Nmeka had played the ball.<\/p>\n<p>Madison posted a screenshot of the incident on Instagram to &#8220;clarify&#8221; her position.<\/p>\n<p>Maddison uploaded a photo of a close-up snapshot of Nmeka&#8217;s foul and posted the following caption:<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Just to be clear, that tiny little touch on the ball to change the direction was from the outside of my right foot, not Nmeka. And I told the referee that, but the check lasted about 20 seconds. Officials are scared to make decisions on the pitch because of VAR. We will keep fighting. Koiz.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image_2026-05-13_034551198-414x754.jpg.webp 414w,https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image_2026-05-13_034551198-630x1148.jpg.webp 630w,https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image_2026-05-13_034551198-768x1399.jpg.webp 768w,https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image_2026-05-13_034551198-770x1403.jpg.webp 770w,https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image_2026-05-13_034551198-843x1536.jpg.webp 843w,https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image_2026-05-13_034551198-900x1640.jpg.webp 900w,https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image_2026-05-13_034551198.jpg.webp 1124w\" data-sizes=\"(min-width:1230px) 770px, (min-width:1020px) 630px, (min-width:900px) 880px, (min-width:680px) 97vw, (min-width:414px) 414px, 100vw\"><\/source><\/picture><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">(Screenshot via Instagram\/Madders)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_FA_could_take_action_against_Maddison_over_doubts_about_official_integrity\"><\/span>The FA could take action against Maddison over doubts about official integrity<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Maddison&#8217;s choice of words, particularly his labeling of those involved as &#8220;petrified&#8221;, is likely to lead to a bitter clash with the FA.<\/p>\n<p>The FA&#8217;s rules regarding comments are strict, particularly when it comes to posts that imply bias or attack the integrity of match officials.<\/p>\n<p>Spurs manager Roberto De Zerbi avoided direct criticism of the VAR decision, saying only that Gillett &#8220;wasn&#8217;t calm,&#8221; but Maddison&#8217;s more direct comments raise another issue for the league.<\/p>\n<p>With two games left in the season, the last thing Tottenham need is a fine or possible suspension from the touchline for their star playmaker as they fight to secure their Premier League status.<\/p>\n<p><!-- Article End -->\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>James Maddison risked possible disciplinary action from the FA after criticizing the referee and VAR&#8217;s failure to award Tottenham a penalty during their 1-1 draw with Leeds United. The midfielder, making his long-awaited return from an anterior cruciate ligament injury, was at the center of a controversial stoppage-time incident that could drastically change Spurs&#8217; survival [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":47055,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[40],"class_list":{"0":"post-47054","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-football","8":"tag-football"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47054","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47054"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47054\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47055"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47054"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47054"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47054"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}