By Graham Hill
ASTON Villa boss Dean Smith blasted the FA for hitting them with a charge of failing to control their players.
Both Villa and Birmingham face punishment for an incident five minutes in to last Sunday’s controversial derby clash when Jack Grealish was brought down by Maikel Keiftenbeld.
Players from both sides reacted and surrounded ref Tim Robinson.
The FA acted this week and Smith was not happy.
But Villa will not be contesting it.
Smith said: “With the wording of the rules, I don’t think you can contest it.
“Yes, there were players around the referee, but I’m surprised.
“It’s inconsistent. I watch games on TV and there are three or four players around the ref contesting decisions, but not all are charged.
“I thought both sets of players kept a lid on things during the game, that was the only flashpoint.
“To be charged is very harsh.”
The game also saw Grealish punched by a pitch invader who was later jailed for 14 weeks.
And Smith said Birmingham fan Paul Mitchell was jailed for a ‘dangerous thing’.
The Villa boss said: “The punishment is down to the law of the land, I can’t get involved with that.
“But he’s been put into jail for what could’ve been a really dangerous thing.
“Certainly if he’d been armed we’d have been looking at something totally different.
“It’s been dealt with and we’ll move on.
“At half-time, we didn’t speak about it, it was one of those things that Jack dealt with.”
Villa Roar 