Vertonghen elbow earns Wickham three-match ban

Crystal Palace striker Connor Wickham has been handed a three-match ban for violent conduct in relation to his elbow on Jan Vertonghen last weekend.

Midway through the second half of Palace’s 3-1 Premier League defeat at Selhurst Park last week, Wickham appeared to swing an elbow at the Spurs defender inside the penalty area.

No action was taken at the time by referee Martin Atkinson, but the Football Association (FA) issued a statement on Monday confirming that Wickham had admitted the charge.

A statement from the FA read: “Following an Independent Regulatory Commission hearing today, Connor Wickham will serve a three-match suspension with immediate effect.

“The Crystal Palace forward was charged with violent conduct following an incident with Tottenham Hotspur’s Jan Vertonghen in the 69th minute of the game on Saturday, which was not seen by the match officials but caught on video.

“Wickham admitted the charge but mitigated against the standard three-match suspension, however, this was rejected by the Independent Regulatory Commission.”

Wickham will now miss Saturday’s FA Cup clash with Stoke City as well as Premier League meetings with AFC Bournemouth and Swansea City.