Borja Sainz is under investigation by the FA following an alleged incident during the Canaries’ recent 2-1 loss to Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland defeated Norwich City 2-1 at the Stadium of Light just before Christmas. Norwich City head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup has stated that star player Borja Sainz is under investigation by the FA following an alleged incident during the Canaries’ recent 2-1 loss to Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. The two clubs clashed on Wearside shortly before Christmas, with referee Leigh Doughty issuing numerous cards before removing visiting centre-back Jose Cordoba for a second bookable offence midway through the second half.

For his part, Sainz was involved in a number of heated situations, including one in which he looked to clash with Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris following a touchline collision. And now Norwich manager Thorup has confirmed that the Spaniard’s antics may come back to haunt him. Speaking to BBC Radio Norfolk following his side’s 1-1 draw with QPR on Sunday, the Dane said: “We haven’t seen what it [the FA investigation] is about, or any footage of it, so that’s what we’re waiting for – and the reason why he’s still playing.”

When asked if it entailed an allegation of spitting at an opposing player, Thorup replied, “I’ll be careful not to say too much. I need to observe the incident first, then hear from Borja. It just came to our attention, and we need to have it resolved.” Sainz has been a tremendously prominent figure for Norwich this season, scoring 16 goals in all competitions. He hasn’t scored in any of his last half-dozen appearances, and he went scoreless when the Canaries made the long trip to the North East on December 21.

Thorup, speaking after his team’s defeat on the day, said: “The red card, he can give it of course, and he chose to do so. I’d have liked to see some different calls in different scenarios, but that’s probably not a topic for this discussion because he obviously missed several huge ones. I spoke with Jose because he needs to be more cunning in situations like that. Unfortunately, many things are beyond our control. The key calls are not in our favor.”