Isaac Hayden has been hit by an FA charge after making comments about the performance of the referee in the 1-0 defeat against Chelsea. The midfielder reflected the views of thousands of fans when claiming Newcastle had been up against "12 men" at Stamford Bridge.
On the day, Newcastle were denied a penalty after Jacob Murphy was hauled down and then Kai Havertz did not receive a red card for elbowing Dan Burn in an ugly incident before the Germany star went on to score the winner to add salt into the wound.
Hayden had tweeted: "Some performance from the boys against 12 men today. Proud to be associated with the club is an understatement."
In response, an FA spokesperson said: "Newcastle United’s Isaac Hayden has been charged with a breach of FA Rule E3.1 following their Premier League game against Chelsea on Sunday 13 March 2022.
"It is alleged that the midfielder’s comments on social media after the game constitute improper conduct as they attack the integrity of the match official and/or are personally offensive and/or bring the game into disrepute. Isaac Hayden has until Wednesday 23 March 2022 to provide a response."
The FA rule book reads: "Any post-match comments in the media or on social media that criticise the performance or competence of a match official are permitted unless they imply bias; attack their integrity; are personally offensive; prolonged, or particularly unreasonable. The FA will: issue a charge or formal warning; remind them of their responsibilities or take no further action depending on the seriousness of the incident or track record of the ‘participant’."
