Stoke City´s Huth charged over Upson clash

Stoke City defender Robert Huth was charged Monday with violent conduct by the Football Association (FA) following a clash with West Ham’s Matthew Upson at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday.

Huth appeared to swing an arm into Upson’s face as the pair tried to gain position at a free-kick but, with Stoke 2-1 up, the eventual full-time score, the incident went unseen by referee Martin Atkinson.

Stoke manager Tony Pulis, speaking after the game, said: “I will have a look at it and obviously if he has done it we will speak to him and deal with him in-house.”

West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola added: “I saw the incident. Matthew is okay now, he had a few stitches.

“Looking at the video after the match obviously it was a sending-off. I can only assume the referee didn’t see it.

“I haven’t spoken to the referee about it. I don’t think I need to talk to him. It is down to the authorities to decide (whether further action is required) – it won’t change the story for me.”

Huth has until 1700GMT Tuesday to respond to the charge, which will be considered by a regulatory commission on Thursday.