Ginola hit by misconduct ban

David Ginola's miserable season goes on after he was found guilty of misconduct by the Football Association and banned for two matches and fined £22,000.

The charge related to Ginola's confrontation with fourth official Clive Wilkes last month after the Aston Villa winger had been sent off for stamping on Leicester's Dennis Wise.

Ginola, who is 35 tomorrow, refused to comment on the outcome of the disciplinary hearing at the Professional Footballers' Association's Manchester headquarters.

Instead PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor, who attended the hearing with Ginola, spoke for the Frenchman and he claimed he was very despondent.

Taylor said: "David is very disappointed. He has had a great career in England and he has been a role model.

"It's bad enough being sent off and missing three games, but he felt extremely frustrated, which everybody could understand.

"I was hoping they would take into account his record of 20 years in the games and nearly 600 games and what has been an exemplary record. He's been a perfect gentleman.

"The fourth official said he didn't feel threatened, but that's it and this is what we've got to live with."

Ginola will miss Villa's next two games against Everton and Fulham, but it hardly matters as he has not played for the club since that red card at Villa Park at the beginning of December.

He does not figure in manager John Gregory's first-team plans and his last start for Villa was against Reading in the Worthington Cup back in early October.

Gregory had been due in Manchester to answer a misconduct charge, but his hearing was postponed to February 5.