Campbell escapes ban for kick

Sol Campbell has escaped a ban for his kick at Manchester United’s Eric Djemba-Djemba in the FA Community Shield.

The Arsenal and England defender has been fined £20,000 for the retaliatory backheel at the Cameroon international in August’s match at the Millennium Stadium.

Many expected a three-match suspension to be the punishment but it appears that the player escaped a ban because of the degree of violence deemed involved in his flick at Djemba-Djemba.

The incident was not picked up by referee Steve Bennett during the game but included in his official match report after he saw it on a video recording.