The England and Manchester City women’s goalkeeper Karen Bardsley has until 6pm on Tuesday to respond to a charge of violent conduct after being involved in a spat with the Birmingham City forward Freda Ayisi.
Ayisi was sent off in the 45th minute for throwing punches at the keeper during Sunday’s 0-0 draw in Women’s Super League One.
A statement on the Football Association website said: “Karen Bardsley has been charged by the FA for violent conduct following an on-field incident which was not seen by the match officials but caught on video.
“The charge is in relation to an incident involving the Manchester City WFC goalkeeper and Birmingham City LFC’s Freda Ayisi which occurred in the 45th minute of Sunday’s game. Ayisi was dismissed at the time for her part in the incident.”
Bardsley said she had apologised to Birmingham over the incident. “Passions ran high against Birmingham yesterday. Viewing the footage again, I regret the incident with Freda Ayisi,” she said on Twitter.
“Whilst I was provoked, it was out of character for me to react in that way. I’ve contacted Birmingham to apologise for my involvement.”
