Rodri sat down after Manchester City’s frustrating draw against Tottenham and spoke like a man who could not accept what was happening around him. The game had slipped away from City’s hands, just like so many moments this season, and instead of looking inward, instead of admitting mistakes or decline, he chose a different path. He chose suspicion. He chose disbelief. He chose to suggest that what Manchester City are facing is not football logic, not form, not competition, but something darker. Something that does not belong in the game.
City had been winning. They were in control. Then they were not. Spurs came back, the points were dropped, and suddenly City found themselves six points behind Arsenal. Six points. Not one bad referee call. Not one unlucky bounce. Six full points. That gap tells a story on its own. But Rodri did not want to hear that story. He wanted to write another one.
When he spoke, he talked about decisions that “keep happening.” He said it is “not possible.” He said things do not make sense. He said there must be another explanation. And in saying that, without directly using the word, he pointed toward corruption. He hinted that referees are against Manchester City. He hinted that the system is unfair. He hinted that something is bent.
This is where football stops being football and becomes dangerous talk.
Referees are human. VAR is flawed. Everyone knows this. Arsenal fans complain. Liverpool fans complain. United fans complain. Spurs complain. Even teams at the bottom complain. That is football. That is emotion. But there is a line. And Rodri crossed it.
Instead of saying “we were not good enough,” instead of saying “we lost control,” instead of saying “Arsenal are strong this season,” he chose to say that what is happening cannot be explained logically. When you remove logic, what do you replace it with? Conspiracy. And conspiracy in football is poison.
Manchester City are not victims. They are champions. Serial winners. A club that has dominated England for years. A club that has benefited from decisions just like every other top side. A club that has lifted trophies while others watched. To suddenly pretend that the world is against them is not only embarrassing, it is insulting to the league.
Arsenal are top because they have been better. That is the truth Rodri does not want to accept. They defend better. They press better. They suffer better. They win ugly when they need to. City, this season, have not done that consistently. They have dropped points late. They have lost control in matches they once killed easily. That is not referees. That is decline, fatigue, pressure, and change.
Football moves in cycles. No team stays on top forever. Even Pep Guardiola knows this, even if his players do not want to admit it. The hunger fades. The edge dulls. Rivals learn. And eventually, someone else rises. Right now, that someone is Arsenal.
Rodri’s comments sound like those of a man who cannot handle the idea that another team might simply be better right now. That the machine he has lived inside for years is finally creaking. That domination is slipping. And instead of accepting reality, he tries to reject it.
The most worrying part is not even what he said, but what it suggests. When players start questioning referees publicly, when they hint at bias, when they say things are “not possible,” they plant seeds. Seeds in fans’ minds. Seeds that grow into abuse, threats, anger, and hatred. We have already seen referees chased out of stadiums. We have seen officials abused online. We have seen families targeted. Words matter.
That is why the FA cannot ignore this. Not because Rodri is a bad player. Not because City are unpopular. But because football must protect its officials. You cannot allow one of the biggest stars in the league to suggest the game is rigged simply because his team is no longer winning every week.
If a player believes referees are corrupt, there are proper channels. Evidence. Formal complaints. Investigations. Not vague interviews after dropped points. Not emotional reactions when the title race tightens. Not whispers designed to protect ego.
Rodri is a brilliant midfielder. One of the best in the world. But brilliance does not excuse irresponsibility. In fact, it makes it worse. Young players listen to him. Fans listen to him. When he speaks, it carries weight. And what he carried this time was suspicion.
The irony is that Manchester City, of all clubs, should be careful with talk about integrity. Very careful. They are already under scrutiny. Already facing questions. Already living under a cloud. The last thing they need is players openly questioning the honesty of English football.
But maybe this is what pressure does. When winning becomes normal, losing feels like injustice. When trophies become expected, competition feels like betrayal. When dominance ends, reality feels unacceptable.
Arsenal are not stealing anything. They are earning it. Week after week. Away from home. Under pressure. With expectations. With injuries. With young players growing up fast. They are doing what City used to do. And instead of respecting that, Rodri chose denial.
Great teams know when to fight and when to reflect. Great players know when to speak and when to stay silent. This was a moment for silence. Or humility. Or honesty. Instead, we got fantasy.
Football does not need fantasies about bent referees. It needs accountability. It needs players to look in the mirror. It needs leaders to say “we must be better,” not “this cannot be real.”
If the FA wants to send a message, this is the moment. Not to silence opinion, but to protect the game. A long ban may sound harsh, but letting this slide is worse. Because if every dropped point becomes a conspiracy, the league collapses under paranoia.
Rodri is not a loser. But right now, he is talking like one. And until Manchester City accept that Arsenal might simply be better this season, the frustration will only grow. Titles are not lost because of referees. They are lost because someone else rises higher.
That is football. And no amount of denial will change it.
