Henry charged by English FA

Arsenal FC striker Thierry Henry has been charged with improper conduct for his protests to the referee after the 3-1 home defeat by Newcastle United FC last month.

'Open-ended charge'
The English Football Association (FA) announced the charge on Friday, giving the French international two weeks to respond. "The charge is very open-ended," an FA spokesman said. "It is not like a violent conduct charge where there is a set penalty but the usual punishment for a charge like this is a one match ban. The disciplinary committee will take into account the player's usual conduct on the pitch."

Decisive penalty
The Highbury match on 18 December included a red card for each side and a decisive late penalty for Newcastle, who won 3-1 to go top of the league. At the end of the game Henry approached referee Graham Poll, shouting and gesticulating and had to be restrained by team mates. Two policeman escorted Poll off the pitch.