Man City`s Vieira set to miss three games after FA charge

London: Manchester City midfielder Patrick Vieira is resigned to missing his team`s next three matches after accepting a violent conduct charge from the English FA on Thursday.

Vieira was charged on Wednesday after kicking out at Stoke City`s Glenn Whelan during the first half of their Premier League match at the Britannia Stadium which ended in a 1-1 draw on Tuesday. Referee Alan Wiley missed the incident but told the FA in his report he would have sanctioned Vieira if he had seen it. Vieira told the City website he did not deliberately mean to kick Whelan, but said he accepted contact was made and decided not to contest the charge. He said: "At no time did I intend to injure Glenn Whelan. I apologised to him at the time. My foot did make contact with him, but I carried no malice at all toward him."The FA will announce their ruling on Friday and the Frenchman is likely to miss league matches against Liverpool and Chelsea and the FA Cup fifth round replay at Stoke next week. Bureau Report