Neil Warnock is facing a Football Association charge.
The Bluebirds manager was sent off during Cardiff City’s 2-2 draw at Reading and watched the last 12 minutes in a small television room at the Madejski Stadium.
Captain Sean Morrison and his team fought back from 2-0 down to earn a draw and Cardiff now play Hull City at home Saturday (5.30pm).
Warnock, though, must interrupt preparations for that fixture, which is being shown live on Sky television, to deal with the FA charge.
He has until Friday, December 15 (6pm) to respond to the charge of misconduct.
The 69-year-old was dismissed by referee Steve Martin after being warned earlier.
“It’s the first time in my career – 37 years – that I’ve been sent off for asking about someone arching their back,” said Warnock after the Reading match.
“No bad language, nothing like that. I thought it was a travesty.”
Fourth official Andy Woolmer and referee Martin were the men Warnock was unhappy with, saying: “It’s disappointing really and I went in to see the officials. I can’t understand it. Usually I deserve to get sent-off, but not this time.
“I don’t know whether Woolmer was panicking a bit because he’s very experienced.
“I called him over and I suppose the referee is going to enjoy that, isn’t he? It’s his big night.
“I’m 69, I’ve been in the game 37 years and I’ve never been sent off for anything as trivial as that.”
Warnock has other worries to deal with because of a growing injury list.
Morrison and Omar Bogle were taken off to avoid the risk of making minor injuries worse, while another 10 players, Aron Gunnarsson, Danny Ward, Craig Bryson, Frederic Gounongbe, Kenneth Zohore, Lee Camp, Rhys Healey, Kadeem Harris, Jazz Richards and Anthony Pilkington are injured.
Goalkeeper Camp, Harris and Healey all played for the club’s development team in a 4-2 home defeat against Crystal Palace at Cardiff City Stadium on Tuesday.
All three came through with no problems, while Harris and Healey scored for City.
Anthony Pilkington was named among the substitutes at Reading, but Warnock revealed he was not fit enough to go on after a back spasm.
“I put his name on the team sheet, but he was on the bus all night,” said Warnock. “He had a back spasm and couldn’t even get off the bus!
“I didn’t want to put six subs, but he couldn’t take part. it just came on Tuesday morning out of nowhere. That was another disappointment for us, he’d been waiting for weeks to come back into my plans.”
“We have an horrendous injury list at the minute, players who anyone would miss at our level,” said Warnock.
Gunnarsson could need surgery to solve an ankle problem and Warnock said, “He has had an injection now that could go one of two ways.
“Either it will rectify everything or he’ll end up having an operation and missing a month. We’ll know soon.”
Bryson has an Achilles problem and Warnock explained: “The amount of running he did against Barnsley and Nottingham Forest you could understand it.
“He should be okay for Hull.”
Gounongbe is out for three months and Zohore is expected back in the new year.
Bogle went off with a tight hamstring at Reading, but should be ready to face Hull, while Morrison suffered a groin strain and went off as a precaution.
Ward was ruled out by swelling around a knee, while Richards is a long-term absentee with an ankle injury.
On a positive note, Warnock said there was ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ with Camp, Harris and Healey coming through their development appearance with no problems.
