The Football Association's inquiry into allegations that Mark Clattenburg racially abused the Chelsea midfielder Mikel John Obi prompted the governing body's compliance department to interview Ashley Cole at Stamford Bridge over the weekend.
The England left-back was spoken to by the FA's head of on-field regulation, Tarik Shamel, and the compliance officer, Blake Lewenden. The hope is a decision as to whether Clattenburg is to face a misconduct charge will be announced on either Thursday or Friday, with the exhaustive number of interviews undertaken by the FA's investigative team partly explaining the timescale to which the enquiry is operating.
Cole has joined a lengthy list of Chelsea players whose recorded testimonies have now been sought over the incident, which occurred during the 3-2 home defeat to Manchester United on 28 October. Clattenburg, who denies any wrongdoing and has been backed by his two assistant referees and the fourth official from that afternoon, is alleged to have used "inappropriate" language towards Mikel with the FA's disciplinary team having since pinpointed the exact moment the alleged offence took place.
Sourcing video footage of the incident took some time, with the coverage having since been scrutinised, though it is unclear how decisive that evidence has proved. Mikel, who was booked in the second half for dissent, is understood not to have heard the offending word with the case believed to rest largely on the testimony of his team-mate, Ramires.
Chelsea reported the incident immediately after the game, complying with FA rules in the process, and compiled their own dossier of evidence to submit to the governing body before lodging an official complaint. A Metropolitan police investigation into the incident, sparked by a complaint from the Society of Black Lawyers, has since been dropped.
Clattenburg will not referee a Premier League match this weekend, the fourth consecutive occasion the official has been stood down by the Professional Game Match Officials. The FA's disciplinary team will weigh up the statements made by witnesses and assess their credibility, together with using the television footage, before deciding whether a charge will be lodged.
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