Man Utd coach Fletcher charged with misconduct

Darren Fletcher has until 29 October to respond to the charges

Manchester United first-team coach Darren Fletcher has been charged with misconduct by the Football Association following last Saturday's 2-1 win against Brentford.

Fletcher is alleged to have acted in an "improper and/or confrontational manner" and used "abusive and/or insulting words" towards the match officials during the Premier League victory at Old Trafford on 19 October.

United were furious following Brentford's opener from Ethan Pinnock, which came when home defender Matthijs de Ligt was forced to leave the field for a third time to deal with a cut on his head.

Manager Erik ten Hag and assistant Ruud van Nistelrooy received yellow cards for their protests, while Fletcher confronted the officials at half-time as they made their way to the tunnel.

Former midfielder Fletcher, who made 342 appearances for United, has until 29 October to respond to the charge.

It is the latest in a series of charges across the Premier League.

Wolves sporting director Matt Hobbs was charged on Thursday for allegedly confronting officials following his side's 2-1 defeat by Manchester City at Molineux on Sunday, while manager Gary O'Neil has been asked to clarify his comments suggesting that there is a bias towards the Premier League's top six by referees.

Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has been given a five-match stadium ban for spitting on the floor as match officials walked past him following a defeat by Fulham on 28 September.

Fletcher, 40, was appointed Manchester United's technical director in 2021.

He was replaced in the role by Jason Wilcox in the summer, with Fletcher working within Ten Hag's coaching set-up ever since.