Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has accepted a charge following comments about referee Lee Mason, the English Football Association has confirmed.
Rodgers claimed the performance of the officials in the Reds’ loss at Manchester City on St Stephen’s Day was “horrendous” and also questioned why a Greater Manchester referee, in Bolton’s Mason, was appointed to the fixture.
Rodgers is now likely to be fined following a hearing, which he has chosen not to attend and will take place in due course.
Rodgers had been frustrated by a number of decisions during the Premier League game at the Etihad Stadium, which his side lost 2-1.
Most notably Raheem Sterling was incorrectly flagged offside when through on goal while Luis Suarez was denied a late penalty.
“I thought they were horrendous in terms of performance,” Rodgers said of the officials after the game.
“Hopefully we don’t have another Greater Manchester referee again on a Liverpool-Manchester game.”
That was viewed as an attack on the integrity of Mason and brought him to the attention of the FA.
Rodgers later said that was not his intention and he was trying to make a valid point about where Mason is from.
“In terms of geography, I certainly wasn’t questioning the integrity of referees,” he said.
“It was more the logic of it in terms of having a referee from that part of the world refereeing a game in Manchester.
"I wouldn't suspect that Mike Dean, from the Wirral, has refereed many games for Liverpool over the years."
Meanwhile, Liverpool are still waiting to learn the full extent of defender Daniel Agger’s calf injury.
The 29-year-old was forced off in Liverpool’s FA Cup third-round win over Oldham at Anfield on Sunday, leaving his side with 10 men for the closing stages.
Agger has undergone a scan which has confirmed the injury as a strain but further assessment will be required to determine how long he might be out.
Agger had only recently regained his place in the side following injury to Mamadou Sakho.
Sakho was expected to be out for six weeks after suffering a hamstring injury in the loss to Chelsea on December 29th, although reports have suggested his recovery is ahead of schedule.
