Manchester City defender David Sommeil has been banned for three matches, after the Football Association decided his studs-up challenge on Tottenham's Young-pyo Lee constituted violent conduct.
The Frenchman, 31, contested the FA charge but could not persuade a disciplinary commission he was acting in self-defence.
His Korean opponent suffered a badly bruised knee after the tackle, and match referee Alan Wiley's interpretation of the incident went against Sommeil.
Sommeil will now miss Saturday's derby against Manchester United, the trip to Bolton and this month's FA Cup fourth-round tie against either Wigan or Leeds.
He had initially been given the option of starting a three-game ban before the third-round game against Scunthorpe but opted instead to state his case in an effort to clear his name.
Meanwhile, City boss Stuart Pearce has no intention of letting Kiki Musampa or Bradley Wright-Phillips leave Eastlands during the transfer window.
Musampa has been a notable absentee from the Blues squad over the past few weeks, his chances of a recall hit by the arrival of loan signing Albert Riera - while Andy Cole has urged Wright-Phillips to move away from City on loan to further his footballing education.
But in the knowledge his squad is already stretched too far to mount a realistic challenge for a European berth, Pearce is intent on bringing in more players than he lets go.
So the earliest Musampa will be allowed to leave Eastlands will be in the summer when his season-long loan from Atletico Madrid expires, and even then the Dutchman's departure is not a foregone conclusion.
"Kiki is still an important part of the squad and he will be with us until the summer at least," said Pearce. "He missed a couple of games through team selection but then he picked up an ankle injury playing for the reserves, so his most recent absence has been down to that.
"I know we have signed Albert Riera now - but I want a situation where players are vying for places in the team.
"To have just one player for each position is not good enough for a club of this size."
