Chelsea captain Reece James, 23, has been formally charged by the Football Association over an alleged incident in the tunnel following his team's defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday.
The England international was unavailable for the game as he recovers from a hamstring injury.
James reportedly confronted referee Jarred Gillett after the Blues' disappointing 1-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge, their third Premier League defeat of the season.
Chelsea were reduced to 10 men for the second half of the game after defender Malo Gusto was sent off for dangerous play in the 58th minute.
The VAR recommended that referee Gillett review the incident on the field monitor, which led to the Frenchman being sent off.
The FA said in a statement: "Reece James has been charged with breaching FA Rule E3 following Chelsea's Premier League match against Aston Villa on Sunday 24 September."
"It is alleged that the defender used inappropriate and/or insulting and/or insulting words and/or behavior towards a match referee in the tunnel after the match."
The right-wing defender has until September 29th to respond to the accusation.
The defeat puts coach Mauricio Pochettino under increasing pressure, with Chelsea in 14th place and already 13 points behind leaders Manchester City.
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