Whelan in punch-up after Stoke's thumping

FOR THE second time this season Stoke City have been left to deal with the fallout from an ugly dressing-room row after Abdoulaye Faye allegedly punched Glenn Whelan in the face after Sunday’s 7-0 thumping at Chelsea.

The incident comes four months after Tony Pulis, the Stoke manager, was widely reported to have been embroiled in a confrontation with James Beattie.

The latest altercation is said to have taken place after an alleged row between Faye and Whelan in the dressing room at half-time erupted again at the final whistle, although the seeds for the argument had been sown before a ball had even been kicked.

Whelan (26), was apparently frustrated with Faye’s attitude before the game because the Senegalese had been the only player taking part in a warm-up drill in the dressing room wearing flip-flops rather than boots.

It is alleged the Stoke midfielder felt Faye was not approaching the match in the right way and, when the defender subsequently lasted nine minutes against Chelsea before pulling up with a thigh strain, he took the opportunity at half-time to tell his team-mate that his failure to take things seriously was contributing to his injury record.

The 32-year-old centre-half is said to have reacted furiously and squared up to Whelan, asking the Republic of Ireland international how many games he had played in the Premier League. It is alleged Whelan stood his ground and told the former Bolton and Newcastle player, who was being restrained by Ricardo Fuller, that he should speak to him at the end of the game and not during the interval, at which point Stoke were losing 3-0.

A club source suggests Faye decided to take Whelan up on his offer at full-time and, after Pulis had finished his post-match team-talk and confirmed the players would be forfeiting their day off because of their abject performance, the player confronted Whelan again. The Irishman reiterated he had been unimpressed with the Senegalese’s attitude before the game and in training and Faye responded by, in the words of a club source, “belting him in the face”.

Most of the players and some of the backroom staff then became involved as they separated Faye and Whelan. Pulis is understood to have spoken to both players on an individual basis yesterday although it is unclear at this stage what disciplinary action, if any, he proposes to take.

Birmingham City will learn today whether the club and two of their players, Stephen Carr and Roger Johnson, will face FA charges in relation to Sunday’s tempestuous West Midlands derby against Aston Villa.

The FA was yesterday examining the fallout from the match at Villa Park, which the home side won 1-0 following a controversial James Milner penalty

That incident was the catalyst for furious Birmingham protests that led to players surrounding the referee, Martin Atkinson, after Johnson was adjudged to have fouled Gabriel Agbonlahor despite his right boot making contact with the ball first.

Johnson branded Atkinson a “disgrace” and, at the final whistle, Carr made an offensive gesture to Villa supporters.

• Guardian Service