Kinnear charged after verbal attack on referee

Nottingham Forest manager Joe Kinnear has been charged with bringing the game into disrepute after launching a scathing verbal attack on referee Phil Crossley.

The former Wimbledon boss was left seething after the 2-1 defeat by Gillingham at Priestfield earlier in the month in which Bromley-based official Crossley dismissed Forest’s Alan Rogers.

In the aftermath of defeat Kinnear said: “The only thing that ruined the day for me, apart from the result, was the performance of the referee which was just pathetic.

“He was an absolute clown, I thought the official was scandalous. What else can I say about him? He, more than anybody, contrived to get us beat.”

Kinnear, also charged with failure to act in the best interests of the game, has 14 days to respond.