Giggs and Ronaldo fined for improper conduct

Ryan Giggs and Cristiano Ronaldo have both been fined and warned as to their future conduct by the Football Association this evening.

After a hearing lasting almost five hours at a Heathrow hotel, Giggs received a £7,500 (€10,700) penalty, while Ronaldo must fork out £4,000 (€5,700) as punishment for their part in the fracas which followed Manchester United’s 0-0 draw with Arsenal at Old Trafford on September 21.

Both players were found guilty of improper conduct but the relatively small fines compared to the combined nine-match bans handed down to Lauren, Martin Keown and Ray Parlour indicate that the FA felt their indiscretions were minor.

Manager Sir Alex Ferguson and club director and solicitor Maurice Watkins also attended the hearing, although Ferguson left before the verdict was announced to catch an early flight back to Manchester.

It is thought the case dragged on because Ronaldo required translation into his native Portuguese.

While TV cameras caught Giggs and Ronaldo in separate shoving matches after the final whistle, both claimed they were acting in defence of Ruud van Nistelrooy, whose last-minute penalty miss brought manic celebrations from the Arsenal players.

United have yet to comment on the verdict but given the relatively small fines and the lack of a ban, it seems unlikely they will appeal.