Carlton Cole has been charged by the English FA over Twitter comments he made about Ghana fans during the recent friendly against England.

The West Ham striker has been handed an improper conduct charge after the FA today confirmed the charge, saying in a statement: "The FA has charged West Ham United's Carlton Cole with improper conduct relating to media comments. The charge relates to comments made on Twitter during the England v Ghana fixture on 29 March 2011."

The player made comments via the social networking site, Twitter, referring to the large numbers of Ghana fans at Wembley Stadium in comments he later deleted.

He posted: "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, 27, who claimed his comments were a joke, has until 4pm on 13 April to respond to the charge.