Micah Richards: Aston Villa defender gets one-game FA ban

Micah Richards (centre) in the tunnel at the end of the match between Aston Villa and Swansea — Micah Richards will miss his first league game of the season due to the incident after the defeat by Swansea

Aston Villa captain Micah Richards has been given a one-match ban for an incident in the tunnel following his side's defeat by Swansea City.

Richards, 27, admitted to a misconduct charge, was fined £10,000 and missed Monday's 3-1 loss at Tottenham

His ban was announced by the Football Association less than two hours before kick-off in the Premier League game.

The tunnel was seen to be shaking as stewards rushed to calm tensions after the Swans' 2-1 win on 24 October.

Richards clashed with Swansea's Federico Fernandez in a separate incident during the game but the defenders were not punished by the FA after being reviewed by a three-strong panel.

Villa caretaker manager Kevin MacDonald said the club were aware of Richards' likely ban and had prepared for the eventuality ahead of the Tottenham game.