LONDON -- The English Football Association on Monday charged former Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar with accepting bribes to fix matches.


FA chief executive Graham Kelly said Grobbelaar would not be banned and could continue playing pending a hearing into the allegations.


"I think it would be very extreme if we were to suspend a player before he had a chance to explain himself," Kelly said. "We cannot preempt the case, we cannot prejudge him."


Kelly said a disciplinary commission of the FA will be set up to hear the charges against the Southampton goalkeeper, who has 14 days to answer them.


"We view the charges as very serious indeed," Kelly said. "He has time to consider the charges and consult with his advisers and come back to us."


"There is every hope that it will be just an isolated case," he said.


Kelly said the FA was charging Grobbelaar with two offenses: "Conduct which is improper or which is liable to bring the game into disrepute" and "acceptance of consideration with a view to influencing the result of a match."


Kelly said he was informing FIFA, the world governing body, of the action but did not expect FIFA to intervene.


Grobbelaar, who helped Zimbabwe to a 2-1 victory over Zaire in an African Nations Cup match in Harare on Sunday, is expected back in England this week. Southampton's next game is against Arsenal on Saturday.


The British tabloid The Sun alleged last week that the flamboyant goalie had taken bribes from a Far East gambling syndicate to fix Premier League games with Liverpool and Southampton.


The tabloid, which says the allegations are supported by secret videotapes and recordings, turned over its evidence to the FA for investigation.


A British police force says it also will investigate the claim.


In 1965, three players, including two English international players, were jailed for four months for taking money to fix the result of a Division One game.


Grobbelaar, 37, has said repeatedly that The Sun's claims are false, and he is suing the tabloid for defamation.


The goalkeeper spent 13 seasons with Liverpool and helped the Merseyside team win 13 titles, including five league championships and the Europe's top trophy, the Champions Cup.


He also has been a standout player on Zimbabwe's national team and Sunday was mobbed by fans after the African Nations Cup victory over Zaire.


Grobbelaar became involved when angry Zaire players chased after the Zambian referee at the end of the game. The referee had controversially awarded the home team a penalty.


As fists flew and police sent in dogs to deal with the furious players, Grobbelaar helped rescued referee Christian Chikuka from attack.


He showed no signs of stress during the match but seemed to enjoy the sight of journalists, most of whom have been trailing him since The Sun published the bribery charges, being chased away from the stadium by dozens of baton-wielding, gun-toting, riot-control police.