Vieira gets two-match ban and £25,000 fine

ARSENAL'S miserable week took a turn for the worse yesterday as captain Patrick Vieira was handed a two-match ban and £25,000 (€30.500) fine for insulting referee Andy D'Urso.

Vieira is now set to miss the North London derby against Tottenham on November 16 and a trip to Southampton on November 23. Arsene Wenger, whose team have just lost back-to-back matches against Everton and Auxerre, indicated that an appeal was under consideration. ''We are naturally very disappointed at this decision and will be thinking about an appeal over the next couple of days,'' said the Gunners boss. However, the risk for Arsenal in appealing would be simply managing to delay a suspension until December 7, when they face Manchester United at Old Trafford.

The chances are that the Football Association's disciplinary commission would then still side with referee D'Urso, who was the only prosecution witness in today's four-and-a-half-hour hearing.