Aston Villa captain Micah Richards has been charged with improper conduct by the Football Association.

The charge follows an incident in the tunnel at the end of Villa’s 2-1 defeat to Swansea on Saturday.

The tunnel was seen to be shaking from side to side after the teams entered it at the final whistle with Richards still angry following a clash with Federico Fernandez during the game.

The FA studied that initial incident and decided not to take any action against Richards or Fernandez as the panel did not find either player had committed an act of violent conduct. However, Richards will face action after continuing the argument after the match.

It is another blow to Villa, who are bottom of the Barclays Premier League and sacked manager Tim Sherwood on Sunday after their sixth straight defeat.

Richards has until 6pm on Thursday to reply to his charge.