Brown fined £2,500 for post-match Riley rant

Hull manager Phil Brown has been fined £2,500 for improper conduct relating to comments made about Mike Riley after the Tigers' FA Cup defeat at Arsenal in March.

Brown had denied the charge, but it was found proven at a Football Association regulatory commission hearing yesterday, and he was also warned about his future conduct.

The match was one of the most controversial of last season – afterwards Hull accused Cesc Fabregas of spitting at assistant manager Brian Horton, although the Arsenal captain was cleared by the FA after he too was charged with improper conduct.

The FA said in a statement: "At a regulatory commission hearing, Hull City manager Phil Brown was fined £2,500. Brown denied a charge of improper conduct and/or bringing the game into disrepute in relation to media comments concerning the referee Mike Riley, made following Hull's FA Cup tie against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on 17 March. At the hearing today, Brown was fined and warned as to his future conduct."

Brown had accused Riley of a "disgraceful" performance and of being influenced by the Arsenal fans. He said after the match: "We've not been beaten by Arsenal, we've been beaten by the referee and the linesman. The game was turned on its head when the referee succumbed to local pressure. You had better ask Mike Riley how much that will cost us. I'm sure he wouldn't have the faintest idea."

* Bolton are expected to make a formal bid for Reading striker Kevin Doyle before the end of the week. After their failure to regain Premier League status at the first attempt, Reading are resigned to the loss of 26-year-old Doyle. Newly-promoted Wolves are already believed to have lodged a bid for the Republic of Ireland forward which matches his £6.5m get-out clause.