I think we all saw this coming. However, it still blows.

The FA charged Branislav Ivanovic with violent conduct today for his starring role in an incident with Shaun Maloney during the Wigan match on Saturday. Bane snuffed Maloney in the midsection after Maloney apparently swung an elbow at the Chelsea defender. If ever there was a bad time for this to go down, what with the fixtures coming up, it's now.

Bane's facing a three-match banned if found guilty. He has until Wednesday at 6 p.m. to respond to the charges. I doubt he has much of a chance of avoiding a ban, though. Shit.