FA charges Birmingham and Villa for failing to control players

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Championship - Birmingham City v Aston Villa - St Andrew's, Birmingham, Britain - March 10, 2019 Birmingham City's Maikel Kieftenbeld receives a yellow card Action Images/Craig Brough

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

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

"It is alleged they failed to ensure their players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion during the fifth minute of the fixture," the FA said in a statement.

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Championship - Birmingham City v Aston Villa - St Andrew's, Birmingham, Britain - March 10, 2019 Aston Villa players react after a fan invades the pitch and attacks Jack Grealish Action Images via Reuters/Craig Brough

Both clubs, which 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 field of play and punching Grealish later on in the match.

Grealish went on to score in the second half to give Villa a 1-0 victory.

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Championship - Birmingham City v Aston Villa - St Andrew's, Birmingham, Britain - March 10, 2019 Aston Villa's Jack Grealish celebrates scoring their first goal Action Images via Reuters/Craig Brough

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