Marco Silva has been hit with four charges after he was sent off during Fulham 3-1 FA Cup quarter-final defeat against Manchester United on Sunday.
The Cottagers' were in cruise control at Old Trafford thanks to Aleksandar Mitrovic's second-half strike, until the visitors lost control and imploded. Following a brief VAR check, Willian was shown a straight red card for handling the ball on the line, giving United the chance to level from the penalty spot.
However, after Chris Kavanagh went over to the VAR screen, Silva was shown red for acting angrily after Willian was dismissed. Mitrovic duly confronted the referee and was sent off for appearing to shove him. It went from bad to worse for Fulham as Bruno Fernandes levelled from the spot, before Marcel Sabitzer immediately put United ahead. Fernandes added his second of the game to book the Red Devils' place in the semi-final.
Following his actions on the touchline Silva has been charged by the FA for his actions. The four charges involve:
- abusive and/or insulting words and/or gestures and/or behaviour towards the match referee.
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abusive and/or insulting words towards the fourth official prior to his dismissal.
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abusive and/or insulting words and/or gestures and/or behaviour towards the fourth official after being sent off.
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improper behaviour for throwing a water bottle in the direction of the assistant referee.
A statement released on Monday night read: " Fulham, Marco Silva and Aleksandar Mitrovic have been charged following the incidents that took place in or around the 72nd minute of their tie against Manchester United in The FA Cup on Sunday 19 March.
"It's alleged that Marco Silva used abusive and/or insulting words and/or gestures and/or behaviour towards the match referee; that he used abusive and/or insulting words towards the fourth official prior to his dismissal; and that he also used abusive and/or insulting words and/or gestures and/or behaviour towards the fourth official after being sent off.
"It's further alleged that in throwing a water bottle in the direction of the assistant referee his behaviour was improper."
Silva also hit out at Kavanagh in his post-match interview. He could not hide his emotions, although he did praise his side's performance.
Speaking to ITV Sport, he said: "Let's talk about all the game and not just one moment. Until the penalty moment and the red cards, we were clearly the best team on the pitch.
"We were the best team on the pitch, clearly. For me it was a decision the VAR can take. What is difficult to understand is why the two moments in the box in the first half one of them is a clear penalty and nobody checks, nobody sees."
Meanwhile, Mitrovic is likely to miss more than three games with The FA claiming that the standard three-match suspension is "clearly insufficient" and pushing for an extended ban.
There have also been some calls for Mitrovic to miss the remainder of the campaign. Former Premier League referee Mark Halsey claimed that the striker should be banned for 10 games.
