West Ham United manager Avram Grant has denied a charge of improper conduct from the Football Association.
Grant has been charged over the comments he made about referee Mike Jones following the recent FA Cup quarter-final defeat at Stoke City.
The Hammers scored a controversial goal in the 2-1 loss, with Frederic Piquionne appearing to handle the ball in the build-up, and Grant claimed afterwards that Jones had given every decision to the Potters, including a penalty less than a minute into the second half, because he “maybe felt a little bit guilty” about allowing the goal to stand.
The Israeli said: “I think maybe this is the reason the referee started the second half very strange
“Until they scored (the second) goal he gave fouls, a penalty, everything for them.
“Maybe he felt a little bit guilty. I think it was the effect of the first goal for us.”
Grant is not the first manager to face such a charge in recent weeks, with Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson currently serving a lengthy touchline ban for comments he made about referee Martin Atkinson.