Wickham charged with violent conduct after elbow on Vertonghen

LONDON (Reuters) - Crystal Palace striker Connor Wickham is facing a three-match ban after being charged with violent conduct by the FA for allegedly elbowing Tottenham Hotspur defender Jan Vertonghen in the face in an incident missed by referee Martin Atkinson on Saturday. Wickham was caught on camera smashing his elbow into the Belgium international's face during a chase in the Spurs penalty area in the second half of their Premier League match that Spurs won 3-1 at Selhurst Park. Vertonghen, 28, has formed a formidable partnership at the heart of the Spurs defence with fellow Belgium internatiunal Toby Alderweireld, with both playing in every Premier League match this season. Now Vertonghen is facing a lengthy spell out because he damaged his knee and ankle in an awkward fall after Wickham hit him. The FA confirmed in a statement on their website (www.thefa.com) that the 69th minute incident was referred to their panel of three former elite referees who each reviewed the video footage independently of one another to determine whether they considered it a sending-off offence. "For an FA charge to follow the decision by the panel must be unanimous," it said, adding the 22-year-old has until 1800 GMT on Tuesday to reply to the charge. Spurs have the best defensive record in the Premier League and are fourth in the table five points behind Leicester City. (Reporting by Mike Collett; Editing by Mark Heinrich)