Pope later deleted the tweet and insisted he was unaware it could be perceived as anti-Semitic, but the post became the subject of both FA and club investigations.

An FA statement said: "Tom Pope has been charged with a breach of FA Rule E3 in relation to a social media post on 5 January 2020.

"It is alleged that his social media activity breaches FA Rule E3(1) as it was abusive and/or insulting and/or improper and/or brought the game into disrepute.

"It is also alleged that his social media activity constitutes an 'Aggravated Breach', which is defined in FA Rule E3(2), as it included a reference, whether expressed or implied, to race and/or religion and/or ethnic origin.

"The Port Vale forward has until 12 February 2020 to respond."

Shortly after deleting the tweet, Pope issued a statement apologising for any offence caused.

"Following the reaction to my response on Twitter about the Rothschilds, I was unaware of any link between the Rothchild family and the Jewish community.

"If I have caused offence to anyone, I'd like to apologise enormously as this was never my intention."

The charge exposes Pope to the risk of a further suspension, with the 34-year-old having already served a one-game ban for "improper" comments posted on Twitter.

That ban, accompanied by a £1,500 fine, was handed down on January 22 but related to a separate matter.

Pope had previously created a storm on social media after his goal in the third-round FA Cup tie against Manchester City backed up his pre-match bravado in a personal battle with City defender John Stones.

Last summer, Pope mocked Stones in a tweet, claiming he would score 40 goals a season if he faced the England international every week, but he followed up his goal by saying it would be "more like 50".