Wolves head coach Nuno Espirito Santo has refused to apologise for his criticism of Lee Mason, after claiming the referee does not have the "quality" to be a Premier League official.
Nuno expressed his frustration with Mason's performance in Wolves' 2-1 defeat at Burnley on Monday.
The Football Association has sought observations from the Portuguese, who has confirmed he will submit his response on December 29.
"I think I should apologise for the timing of my comments, probably they were not at the best moment to come across because sometimes bad interpretations can come of it," said Nuno, speaking ahead of Sunday's match against Tottenham, live on Sky Sports.
"For that, I will apologise for my timing. But I will not apologise for my words and my thoughts. I will never, ever judge or question the integrity of a referee.
"I never did it, will probably never do it in my life, but what I said is about the ability of the referee. What I felt and what I saw in the match and previous matches."
More to follow…