Ivanovic charged over Wigan clash
Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic was hit with a violent conduct charge on Tuesday following an off-the-ball clash in last weekend's win over Wigan Athletic.
Television footage showed Ivanovic appearing to aim a punch at Wigan midfielder Shaun Maloney during his side's 2-1 win at Stamford Bridge, an incident not spotted by match officials at the time.
Ivanovic, who has until 6:00pm (1700GMT) on Wednesday to respond to the charge, faces a three-match ban if the allegation is upheld, which would rule him out of this weekend's FA Cup semifinal against Tottenham Hotspur.
"Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic has today been charged by The FA with violent conduct following an incident in his side's game against Wigan Athletic," a Football Association statement said.
"Ivanovic was involved in an incident with Wigan's Shaun Maloney, which was not seen by the Match Officials, but caught on video, during his side's 2-1 victory at Stamford Bridge on Saturday 7 April 2012."
