The charge relates to his behaviour towards referee Martin Atkinson in their 5-0 defeat at Chelsea earlier this month. Keane was sent to the stands for the second half after confronting Atkinson in the tunnel at half-time at Stamford Bridge. The Black Cats boss was unhappy with a series of decisions made by Atkinson, and revealed the referees' assessor had rung him after the match acknowledging two of Chelsea's goals should not have stood.

After finding out he had been charged, Keane said: "I haven't got a problem with referees making mistakes. What would disappoint me, particularly over the last year and particularly this season, is the number of big decisions that have gone against our football club.

"But when it is constantly going against you, clearly bad decisions, then you have a right as a manager to question or ask an official at half-time."

Keane has requested a personal hearing, with a date yet to be fixed.