Benitez 'guilty' of ref gesture; But panel left bemused as FA fail to charge Warnock too.

Byline: DOMINIC KING

RAFA BENITEZ had reasons for celebrations and puzzlement today as the dust settled on his disciplinary hearing with the FA.

The Liverpool manager was found guilty of making an "offensive" gesture - simulating a pair of glasses - to referee Phil Dowd after the official failed to give the Reds a second penalty during the 2-1 defeat at Tottenham on August 16.

He was, though, cleared of two other charges during a marathon five-hour hearing at Eastlands by a regulatory committee.

Benitez could have been given a fine or, more seriously, a touchline ban but the only censure he received from the FA was a warning about his future behaviour.

He didn't even have to pay the costs of the hearing.

And Liverpool have claimed that the disciplinary panel "expressed surprise" that another manager - understood to be Crystal Palace boss Neil Warnock - was not charged for committing the same offence on the same weekend.

The disciplinary commission stated: "A regulatory commission of the FA has found Mr Rafael Benitez guilty of misconduct in relation to a breach of FA Rule E3, arising out of a gesture made by him during a post-match briefing.

"The commission concluded the gesture was objectively offensive. The commission noted Mr Benitez''s previous exemplary disciplinary record over 23 years as a coach and manager at the highest level of the sport.

"Taking into account all relevant factors, the commission concluded that the appropriate penalty was to warn Mr Benitez as to his future conduct with regards to interviews and press briefings.

Liverpool insisted, however, that the commission accepted that Benitez's actions were pithy as opposed to malevolent.

A club statement read: "The commission accepted that a gesture made with a pair of spectacles was 'in a non-malicious and humorous manner' and, taking into account Mr Benitez''s previous unblemished record, warned him about his future conduct.

"No fine was imposed or costs awarded against the Liverpool manager. The commission also expressed their surprise at the failure of the FA to charge another manager who had made a similar gesture."

CAPTION(S):

UNPUNISHED: Neil Warnock NOT HAPPY: Rafa Benitez on the touchline at White Hart Lane on August 16 the day he 'offended' referee Phil Dowd