Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson has been charged by the FA for an outburst at the referee during the defeat at Bolton Wanderers on Saturday.

"Alex Ferguson has been charged with using abusive and/or insulting words towards referee Mark Clattenburg," the FA said in a statement on Monday.

The charge relates to Ferguson's conduct at halftime of his team's 1-0 Premier League loss at the Reebok.

Ferguson, who had to watch the second half from the stands, was upset by what he felt were Bolton's over-physical tactics.

"I thought there were two or three very dodgy tackles and you hope the referee is strong in those situations," Ferguson said after the defeat left the champions three points behind leaders Arsenal in the title race.

"You need the protection and we did not get that. I made my feelings known to the referee and he did not like it. Some referees don't like the truth and so I had to spend the second half upstairs," he added.

Ferguson has until Dec. 11 to respond to the charge.