Newell Charged By Fa Over Female Assistant Comments

The Football Association has charged Luton manager Mike Newell with improper conduct following comments he made after the match against QPR on November 11.

Newell launched his astonishing tirade against female assistant referee Amy Rayner during a heated post-match press conference after his side's 3-2 defeat at Kenilworth Road, when he claimed that she made the wrong decision over a penalty.

"She should not be here," said Newell of Rayner. "I know that sounds sexist, but I am sexist, so I am not going to be anything other than that. We have a problem in this country with political correctness, and bringing women into the game is not the way to improve refereeing and officialdom. It is absolutely beyond belief. When do we reach a stage when all officials are women, then we are in trouble. It is bad enough with the incapable referees and linesmen we have, but if you start bringing in women, you have big problems. It is tokenism, for the politically correct idiots."

He later issued an apology to Rayner, stating that "the comments I made were ill-timed and out of order", while his club "severely reprimanded" him for the outburst, along with an accompanying diatribe against Luton chairman Bill Tomlins.

Today, a statement on the FA's website read: "Newell has been charged with improper conduct to the extent that his comments related to assistant referee Amy Rayner personally, and with failing to act in the best interests of the game to the extent that his comments were made about the role of women match officials in football generally."

He has until December 21 to respond.