Cardiff boss Neil Warnock pleads not guilty to three FA charges

Cardiff manager Neil Warnock will contest three Football Association charges over controversial remarks he made about Premier League officials.

Warnock was charged over comments he made in interviews immediately after the 2-1 Premier League home defeat to Chelsea on March 31 and in a radio interview the following day.

The 70-year-old called Premier League referees the “worst in the world” and had been given until Tuesday to provide a response.

“I’ve pleaded not guilty to the charges and I expect to have a hearing sometime this week, I hope,” Warnock said at his press conference before the crunch relegation battle at Brighton on Tuesday.

“But it can’t come early because we’ve got a game Tuesday and I’ve got a funeral on Wednesday up in Chesterfield.”

Relegation-threatened Cardiff had been on course for a vital three points before Chelsea’s 84th-minute equaliser which was headed home by Cesar Azpilicueta from a clear offside position.

Warnock was also unhappy Antonio Rudiger was not sent off after bringing down Kenneth Zohore moments later, and he also felt Cardiff should have been awarded two penalties.

He approached referee Craig Pawson and his assistants after the final whistle but said nothing, merely staring at them as they left the field.

Confirming the charges last Friday, the FA said: “It is alleged that comments he made in a post-match interview with the BBC, and a post-match interview with Sky Sports, following the Premier League game against Chelsea on 31 March 2019, were improper in that they questioned the integrity of the match official and/or implied bias.

“It is further alleged that comments he made in a talkSPORT radio interview on 1 April 2019 constitute improper conduct and/or bring the game into disrepute.”