Mario Balotelli could miss the Carling Cup semi-final and three league games for Manchester City after he was charged with violent conduct for kicking Scott Parker on the head during Sunday's 3-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur.

The Italian striker, who Harry Redknapp insisted should not have been on the pitch to convert the stoppage-time penalty that defeated Spurs, was charged on Mondayevening once the Football Association had considered the referee Howard Webb's official match report.

Webb has confirmed he missed the 83rd-minute incident at the Etihad Stadium and would have shown Balotelli a straight red card had he spotted the City substitute appearing to aim a backheel at Parker as the Tottenham midfielder lay on the floor.

Balotelli has until 6pm on Wednesday to respond. Should the 21-year-old accept the FA charge he will automatically serve a four-match suspension having already been dismissed once this season, for two bookable offences in the Premier League draw at Liverpool in November. That would rule him out of Wednesday's Carling Cup semi-final second leg at Anfield, where City must overcome a 1-0 first leg deficit to reach Wembley, and league games against Everton, Fulham and Aston Villa.

The Italy international could contest the charge, which would leave him free to face Liverpool and result in a disciplinary hearing this week. However, that would also bring the risk of an extra game's suspension for a frivolous appeal and threaten Balotelli's involvement in the Carling Cup final should Roberto Mancini's team progress. The Premier League leaders have yet to decide with Balotelli what course to take.

Redknapp insisted the FA had no option but to review Balotelli's alleged stamp on Parker after Sunday's enthralling game, when he also claimed Mancini needed to deal with the striker's disciplinary problems. "It's not the first time he's done that, is it?" the Tottenham manager said. "I'm sure it won't be the last."

Mancini, who has yet to comment on the incident with Parker, admitted after Balotelli's dismissal at Anfield that he could not completely trust the forward to steer clear of trouble and would consider leaving him out of key games.

Losing Balotelli for four matches would represent a major setback for the City manager, however. With Carlos Tevez absent in Argentina and seemingly on his way out of the club, Mancini will have only two established strikers, Sergio Agüero and the out-of-form Edin Dzeko, available over the coming weeks should Balotelli accept the FA charge or lose an appeal.

City will be without their suspended captain, Vincent Kompany, for the semi-final at Liverpool, a four-match punishment that caused consternation at the club, and have Yaya and Kolo Touré away at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Balotelli has been sent off three times since joining City from Internazionale in August 2010 and been involved in several off-field incidents but team-mates were quick to defend the striker after Sunday's victory over Spurs. The Argentina international Agüero said: "Firstly we all know what a fantastic player he is. Everyone has their own path. But those of us who are really close to Mario know that off the field he's a really good lad.

"Like a lot of players he has his own idiosyncrasies here and there. You know him as a player – what you see on the field. But I know he's a lovely lad. He's a young lad, he takes care of himself and gets on with his own business, approaches his life as he wants."

The City midfielder James Milner, somewhat prophetically, said: "He is fun to have around the place. I don't think I have done an interview this season without being asked about him. It sums up what a character he is. Sometimes the talk is always about the next big game but you can always rely on Mario to set some fireworks off to get the headlines. The rest of us can just quietly keep going about our business."

The FA confirmed that no action will be brought against City's centre-back Joleon Lescott for catching the Spurs defender Younès Kaboul with a flailing arm during Sunday's game.