Wayne Rooney has been charged with misconduct by the English Football Association (FA) over his behaviour before and after being shown a red card during Plymouth Argyle’s win over Blackburn Rovers on Saturday.
Rooney, 38, was sent off after kicking a bottle into the crowd as his frustration boiled over following Blackburn’s equalising goal.
A statement shared by the FA said: “The manager’s conduct in the 87th minute was allegedly improper and/or he used abusive and/or insulting towards a match official.
“It’s further alleged that his conduct after being dismissed was improper and/or violent. It’s also alleged that by returning to the field of play after being dismissed his behaviour was improper.”
Rooney has until Oct. 15 to respond to the charges. He was dismissed eight times during his illustrious playing career and has now added to that tally as a coach.
The former Manchester United and England star’s players handled the setback well, responding to the fallout by scoring a 97th-minute winner through Morgan Whittaker.
Rooney was not allowed to talk to the media post-match due to his sending off but his assistant Pete Shuttleworth stepped in.
“He’s still passionate — we all watched him play for many years and we all know that passion is what drives him and he’s been brilliant down here,” Shuttleworth said.
“I’ve seen him like that – he has still got that passion on the touchline. He likes to be calm and calculated at times and see the game, and that’s his management style. You’re never going to take that [passion] out of Wayne.”
Argyle have won three home games in a row to leave them 14th in the Championship table.