The FA accuses Birmingham and Villa of failing to control the players

(Reuters) – English soccer clubs Birmingham City and Aston Villa have been accused of failing to control their players in a heated derby last weekend, the English Football Association (FA) said on Thursday.

Players from both teams were charged with breaching FA Rule 20 after a challenge followed by a foul by Birmingham’s Maikel Kieftenbeld on Villa captain Jack Grealish in the fifth minute.

“It is alleged that they did not ensure that their players behaved in an orderly manner during the fifth minute of the match,” the FA said in a statement.

Both clubs, who play in the second tier championship, have until March 18 to respond.

A Birmingham City fan was jailed for 14 weeks on Monday for running onto the pitch and punching Grealish later in the match.

Grealish scored in the second half to give Villa a 1-0 win.

(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by David Goodman)