Chelsea announced yesterday that they have lodged a formal complaint with the Football Association over allegations referee Mark Clattenburg used “inappropriate language” towards John Mikel Obi.

Chelsea allege that Clattenburg abused Nigerian midfielder Mikel during the European champions’ stormy 3-2 loss to Manchester United in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

“Chelsea Football Club today lodged a formal complaint with The Football Association regarding inappropriate language directed at John Mikel Obi by referee Mark Clattenburg,” read a statement from Chelsea.

“This is a result of a thorough investigation carried out by the club, and led by outside legal counsel, of all information available to us, including interviews with a number of players and staff.”

The club’s initial complaint claimed Clattenburg had used inappropriate language towards two players, but the allegation regarding the other player – thought to be Spanish midfielder Juan Mata – has been dropped.

The FA announced on Monday that they have launched an investigation into the incident, while the Metropolitan Police said on Tuesday that they will also conduct an inquiry.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.