JONJO SHELVEY faces a lengthy ban after the Football Association charged him with abusive behaviour that had an ‘ethnic, racial or national’ element.

The Newcastle United midfielder has until November 16 to respond to the charge, which relates to an incident in the 2-0 home defeat to Wolves in the middle of September.

Shelvey is alleged to have directed abuse at an opponent in the closing stages of Newcastle’s defeat, with the FA describing the incident as an “aggravated breach”.

That means it featured a “reference to ethnic origin and/or race and/or nationality”, and means Shelvey would face a much stiffer punishment if found guilty.

The Wolves player on the receiving end of the alleged abuse is understood to have been Moroccan midfielder Romain Saiss.

With Saiss having only a limited grasp of the English language, one of his Wolves team-mates is believed to have reported the abuse to officials at the end of the game.

The FA opened an investigation into the incident, which is alleged to have occurred at around the same time that Vurnon Anita was sent off.

In October 2011, Liverpool striker Luis Suarez was found guilty of racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra, and was banned for eight matches as well as being fined £40,000.

In the same month, Chelsea defender John Terry was charged with the same offences levelled at Shelvey, and even though he was acquitted of a racially-aggravated public order offence at a trial, he was found guilty at a four-day FA hearing and banned for four matches and fined £220,000.

Shelvey has started all bar two of Newcastle’s Championship matches this season, with his influential performances at the heart of midfield playing a key role in the club’s rise to the top of the table.