Football: Lens fracas leads to ban for Dixon

LEE DIXON has been given a one-match suspension and will miss Arsenal's Champions' League match with Panathinaikos in Athens next Wednesday, after an investigation by Uefa, European football's ruling body, into the full-back's red card during the bad-tempered game against Lens at Wembley last week.

The former England fullback was left in apparent agony on the Wembley turf after an angry exchange in stoppage time with Lens' Tony Vairelles, which resulted in Vairelles being sent off. Although Dixon was not booked by the referee, Anders Frisk, Uefa's Control and Disciplinary committee yesterday ruled that he started the trouble by elbowing his opponent in the back.

Vairelles and the Lens coach, Daniel Leclercq, accused Dixon of feigning injury to get the French international striker sent off - just seconds after the Arsenal midfielder Ray Parlour was given a red card for kicking out at the Lens midfielder, Cyril Rool.

It is the second time Arsenal have suffered retrospective punishment in their ill-fated Champions' League campaign. The French midfielder, Emmanuel Petit, was suspended from the Lens game after Uefa decided that the Italian referee, Piero Ceccarini, should have booked him in the match against Dynamo Kiev three weeks earlier. Nigel Winterburn had mistakenly been shown a yellow card for a foul which Petit had committed.

Dixon could be suspended for even longer when Uefa's disciplinary committee meets again in January to also ratify the complete list of players to be suspended for knock-out stage of the European Cup, which begins in March.

A Uefa spokesman said: "After studying the referee's detailed report and also that of the Uefa delegate,we have decided that disciplinary action must be taken even if the referee was not able to see gross unsporting conduct and was therefore unable to take any factual decision."

Arsenal declined to comment on the decision last night. Lens, who launched an appeal against Vairelles' red card, have also lost out. Uefa confirmed that he will be suspended "for unsporting behaviour" and will miss their vital meeting with Dynamo Kiev in France next Wednesday, when the two teams contest top place in Group E, which earns automatic qualification for the quarter-finals.

The Uefa spokesman confirmed: "It will be a one-match only suspension for Vairelles." Dixon and Parlour could still receive longer bans, though. Uefa confirmed that Parlour will be suspended "for at least one match" for his red card but they have also deemed his offence as "an act of violence" and look certain to extend the ban to at least three games when they meet again in January.

Defeat by Lens at Wembley ensured Arsenal's exit from the Champions' League, no matter what the result of their encounter with Panathinaikos next week. Any further suspension for Parlour and Dixon would be carried over to the next time they qualify for European competition.

Lens and Dynamo Kiev are set to appeal to Uefa to ensure that Arsenal's manager, Arsene Wenger, fields his strongest available team against Panathinaikos. The game is virtually meaningless to Arsenal, but if Panathinaikos beat them heavily the Greek side can still finish top of Group E if Dynamo and Lens draw in France.

Dion Dublin has won his fight with Coventry City to have a pounds 30,000 fine paid back to him for going on strike during his transfer dispute with the club.

The Aston Villa and England striker appealed to the Premier League to get his maximum penalty of a fine of two weeks' wages overturned. Dublin was furious that Coventry had punished him when he refused to play at Luton in a Worthington Cup tie at the height of his troubles with the club.

He claimed that he was told by the chairman, Bryan Richardson, that he had been given permission to talk to Blackburn the day before. Dublin was considering the contract offer from Rovers and did not want to risk an injury at Luton.

However, the Coventry manager, Gordon Strachan, was keen for Dublin to play, and has stated that the striker pulled out of the fixture against his wishes. Dublin was fined for being in breach of contract before eventually leaving for Villa and securing a deal worth around pounds 30,000 a week in the pounds 4.5m transfer.

Despite his new salary, Dublin wanted his fine back on a point of principle. There was so much bad blood between him and the club that it became a question of honour, he said.

Dublin's case was heard by a Premier League enquiry in London, with Strachan and Richardson also giving their version of events. A Premier League spokesman said last night: "Dion Dublin has been found not guilty of the offence. Coventry have the right to appeal if they wish."

The result is a vindication of Dublin's actions and a further blow to Richardson, who lost the player and threatened that he had "not heard the last" of the transfer row.