Defiant Jordan charged by FA

Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan has been charged with improper conduct by the FA for remarks in his column in The Observer. The charge does not relate to his regular attacks on Charlton and their fans, but his criticisms of referee Brian Curson over Palace's 3-2 defeat at Reading.

Jordan seems to have anticipated a charge. In the article, he stated, 'When the FA read this column, this attempt to be constructive, they'll probably charge me with bringing the game into disrepute.' Since being charged, Jordan has said, 'If they want me to explain my comments, I'm not going to. They're there to read in the paper.'

Jordan claims that it's about free speech, but free speech is limited by laws and rules about unfair comment that could be seen as defamatory of institutions or individuals.