LONDON – West Ham striker Carlton Cole has been accused of improper conduct by England's Football Association on Friday for tweets about Ghana fans made during England's exhibition.
The Football Association said Cole has until Wednesday to respond to the charge.
Around 20,000 Ghana fans were in Wembley Stadium for the 1-1 draw on March 29. Cole wrote on Twitter during the game: "Immigration has surrounded the wembley premises! I knew it was a trap! Hahahaha. The only way to get out safely is to wear an England jersey and paint your face w/ the St. George's flag!"
Cole, who is black, apologized and tweeted: "It was a joke & its not even racist."
Cole was not involved in the match. He made the last of seven England appearances in March 2010.
The FA issued a "social networking clarification" in February after then-Liverpool winger Ryan Babel became the first player to be fined by the organization over comments and images posted on Twitter criticizing referee Howard Webb.
The FA advisory said "any comments which are deemed improper, bring the game into disrepute, or are threatening, abusive, indecent or insulting may lead to disciplinary action."