FA investigates claims referee abused Chelsea players

LONDON (AP) - Just as English football was slowly recovering from a divisive, year-long racism saga, the Premier League has been plunged into renewed controversy.

And, yet again, the accusation being levelled is linked to racism - a problem thought to have been largely eradicated from English football in the 1990s.

The new allegation appears unprecedented for the world's richest football league: Chelsea claims the referee used "inappropriate language" toward two players in the globally televised Premier League match against Manchester United on Sunday.

Midfielder John Obi Mikel is believed to be one of the players who Chelsea say was targeted by referee Mark Clattenburg, whose language has reportedly been interpreted as being racially offensive.