Former Sunderland boss David Moyes has been fined £30,000 by the Football Assoication (FA) over comments he made to BBC reporter Vicki Sparks in March.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">BREAKING: <a href="https://twitter.com/FA">@FA</a> fine former <a href="https://twitter.com/SunderlandAFC">@SunderlandAFC</a> manager David Moyes £30,000 for comments made following <a href="https://twitter.com/BurnleyOfficial">@BurnleyOfficial</a> game in March. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SSNHQ?src=hash">#SSNHQ</a> <a href="https://t.co/nmGUWN8PKF">pic.twitter.com/nmGUWN8PKF</a></p>— Sky Sports News HQ (@SkySportsNewsHQ) <a href="https://twitter.com/SkySportsNewsHQ/status/873130663691653120">June 9, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Moyes, who managed Sunderland after disastrous spells at both Manchester United and Real Sociedad was asked by Sparks if the presence of Sunderland's owner Ellis Short had put extra pressure on him after a 0-0 draw against Burnley.
The 54 year old responded to Sparks' question about Short's presence by saying "no", but after the interview added she "might get a slap even though you're a woman" and told her to be "careful" next time she visited.
Both Moyes and Sparks were laughing during the exchange and he later apologised to Sparks, who did not make a complaint.
Speaking at a news conference on 3 April after the incident came to light, he said:
"It was in the heat of the moment. I deeply regret the comments I made. That's certainly not the person I am. I've accepted the mistake. I spoke to the BBC reporter, who accepted my apology."
The fine comes at a time when David Moyes is set to be missing his first full season of managing a team since 1998 after being sacked by Sunderland at the end of last season.
