Moyes Charged By Fa Over Derby Outburst

The Everton manager David Moyes has been charged by the Football Association over comments he made about referee Mark Clattenburg in the wake of his side's home defeat to Liverpool in October.

Clattenburg awarded Liverpool two penalties at Goodison Park, also sending off both Tony Hibbert and Phil Neville for their respective misdemeanors in the area, but refused Everton one when Jamie Carragher appeared to foul Joleon Lescott in the box in the dying moments. Moyes was also incensed that Dirk Kuyt was only booked for a two-footed lunge at Neville.

"We deserved that penalty if not more," said Moyes after the game. "If the other penalties were more blatant than that, then I am in the wrong game. I am seemingly seeing football differently. If the referee does not see that you have got to ask why. Maybe they should not be there. It can't just be me being bitter, people asked was the referee biased and I can't comment but we got nothing at all."

Moyes has been charged with two breaches of FA rule E3 in respect of both those comments and further statements he made in a press conference the following week. The FA charge stated: "It is alleged that the comments made referring to referee Mark Clattenburg on each respective occasion amount to improper conduct as they call into question Mr Clattenburg's integrity and/or imply that Mr Clattenburg was motivated by bias."

Moyes has until December 11 to respond to the charge.

Meanwhile, an FA regulatory commission was meeting today to consider the claim for wrongful dismissal from Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien, who was sent off for violent conduct during Saturday's 2-0 victory at Derby.