Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson was charged with improper conduct by The Football Association on Thursday following his harsh criticism of a referee following a 2-1 loss at Chelsea.
Ferguson was furious that Martin Atkinson failed to eject David Luiz when the Chelsea defender fouled Wayne Rooney. Luiz already had received a yellow card during Tuesday's game.
Shortly afterward, Atkinson awarded a penalty kick when United defender Chris Smalling fouled Yuri Zhirkov. Frank Lampard then converted the penalty kick to put Chelsea ahead.
''You want a fair referee, or a strong referee anyway - and we didn't get that,'' Ferguson said on United's in-house TV channel. ''I must say, when I saw who the referee was I feared it. I feared the worst.''
Ferguson has until Tuesday to respond to a charge of ''improper conduct relating to media comments.''
If Ferguson is found guilty, it would trigger an additional two-match ban. Half of a four-match penalty for questioning referee Alan Wiley's fitness last season was suspended until the end of this season.
