The FA announced both Championship teams would be charged for allegedly failing to control their players.
The Football Association has announced that Second City rivals Aston Villa and Birmingham City have been charged for allegedly failing to control their players during Sunday’s Championship match.
A hot-tempered game at St Andrew’s saw its first flashpoint as early as the fifth minute when a melee involving players from both teams occurred after Blues midfielder Maikel Kieftenbeld fouled Jack Grealish.
The Dutchman was booked for his late challenge on the Villa captain, which set the tone for a heated derby match between two bitter rivals both hoping to edge into the Championship playoff zone.
Not long after, a Birmingham fan invaded the pitch and hit Grealish from behind, but the 23-year-old – recently back from a shin injury – went on to score the winner for his side in the second half.
The FA announced on Thursday morning that Birmingham and Villa “have been charged with a breach of FA Rule E20 following their fixture in the EFL Championship on Sunday [10/03/2019]… it is alleged they failed to ensure their players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion during the 5th minute of the fixture.”
Following the announcement of the charge, with the clubs having until Monday to respond, there was a lot of dismay amongst some of the Villa faithful:
Villa currently sit eighth in the Championship table, having beaten Nottingham Forest 3-1 at the City Ground in midweek, while Birmingham are 12th after being beaten at home by Millwall.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
