Sunderland boss Steve Bruce has been fined by the Football Association following his critical comments concerning the performance of referee Andre Marriner.

Bruce labelled the referee's decision to send off defender Michael Turner during his side's 4-3 defeat at Manchester City in mid-December as "a joke" and "an outrage".

Bruce also suggested that a previous complaint he had made about the performance of Marriner was to blame for the straight red card shown by the West Midlands official.

To rub salt into Sunderland's wounds, their appeal of the automatic three-match ban handed down to Turner for an elbowing incident involving City midfielder Gareth Barry was extended to four games after it was deemed frivolous.

Now, following a disciplinary hearing, Bruce himself has been fined and warned over his future conduct.

An FA statement read: "At an Independent Regulatory Commission hearing, Sunderland manager Steve Bruce was fined for improper conduct.

"The commission took into consideration Bruce's admission of the charge and his previous exemplary record in relation to media comments."