Soccer-Palace's Zaha charged with improper conduct by FA

Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha was charged with improper conduct by the Football Association (FA) on Thursday for his behaviour after being sent off in Wednesday's 1-1 Premier League draw with Southampton. Zaha, who had given Palace the lead at St Mary's, was dismissed for sarcastically applauding referee Andre Marriner in the 87th minute, moments after being cautioned for tangling with James Ward-Prowse.

The 26-year-old continued to sarcastically applaud the referee after his dismissal and reluctantly left the pitch. He later apologised but the FA charged him for his actions and gave him until 1800 GMT on Feb. 5 to respond.

"Palace's Zaha has been charged following the game against Southampton. It is alleged his behaviour following a second-half dismissal amounts to improper conduct," the FA said. Palace are 15th in the table with 23 points, one place above Southampton on goal difference. (Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis)