Vieira charged over Whelan kick

Posted Thursday, February 18, 2010 by PA

Manchester City midfielder Patrick Vieira has been charged with violent conduct after appearing to kick Stoke's Glenn Whelan between the legs on Wednesday night.

The former Arsenal captain, making just his second start for City, kicked out after being challenged by Whelan early on in his new side's 1-1 Barclays Premier League draw at the Britannia Stadium.

The Football Association this evening brought the charge against the 33-year-old after reviewing replays of the incident today. Vieira, who could face a ban, has been given until tomorrow to respond to the charge and will face a hearing in front of a regulatory commission on Friday.

The incident enraged Stoke manager Tony Pulis, who recalled how Potters defender Robert Huth was suspended earlier this season after cameras caught him striking West Ham's Matthew Upson.

In the interests of "parity", Pulis called on the FA to review a number of unspecified challenges in the game.

Pulis said: "We had a player given a three-game suspension after an incident a couple of months back.There were incidents in the first half with Man City players where I think it is as bad if not worse."

Referee Alan Wiley appeared to speak to Vieira after the clash with Whelan but did not take any action.

Vieira is no stranger to the FA or disciplinary action having been sent off 10 times in his nine years at Arsenal before leaving for Inter Milan in 2005. He was also booked on 100 occasions playing for the Gunners.

He was shown another yellow card against Stoke for a separate incident and also had his name taken on his City debut at Hull earlier this month.

Whelan has made light of the latest incident, saying: "Maybe if I was a bit bigger, then maybe it would have hurt more."