Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has been charged by the Football Association for claiming it would be “difficult” for referee Anthony Taylor to officiate their game with Liverpool.
Mourinho added appointing Taylor for the 17 October match had put “pressure” on the Manchester-based official.
Managers are not supposed to speak about referees prior to matches.
Mourinho has until 31 October to respond to a charge of improper conduct and bringing the game into disrepute.
Taylor issued four yellow cards – all to Manchester United – in the 0-0 draw.
Former referees’ chief Keith Hackett was among those to question the Professional Game Match Officials Limited’s (PGMOL) decision to assign the match to Altrincham season-ticket holder Taylor, claiming it would be “intolerable” if he got a big decision wrong.
PGMOL stood down Leicester fan Kevin Friend in April when he was due to take charge of the Foxes’ title rivals Tottenham in their game against Stoke.
Mourinho foresaw the potential for the FA to take action against him when he spoke before the game, claiming that he “did not really want to say too much more on the matter. I have learned a lesson… by being punished so many times for my words about referees”.
Managers were banned from talking about officials in the run-up to matches in 2009 in an attempt to prevent their comment from influencing decisions.
The Portuguese was given a one-match stadium ban and fined £40,000 in November after the FA backed referee Jon Moss’ claims that the then-Chelsea manager refused to leave the officials’ changing room and verbally abused him and his colleagues at half-time of a defeat at West Ham.
Mourinho was also fined £50,000 for claiming that referees were afraid to award penalties against his side last season after the Blues were beaten 3-1 by Southampton in October.
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