Tottenham Hotspur captain Cristian Romero has been handed a further one-match suspension for his conduct after being sent off in last month’s 2-1 Premier League defeat to Liverpool, the FA confirmed on Friday.

The centre-back received a second yellow card for kicking out at Ibrahima Konaté in added time but did not immediately leave the field, instead arguing with the referee. The FA charged him with acting in an “improper” manner.

“The defender subsequently admitted the charge, and an independent regulatory commission has now imposed a one-match suspension and a £50,000 fine after a hearing,” the FA posted on X.

Romero served his automatic one-match ban in Spurs’ 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace on December 28. He will now miss an additional Premier League fixture.

With Tottenham sitting 14th in the table and winless in their last three games, Romero apologised to fans via social media, suggesting that players should not have to be the ones publicly facing the supporters.

Spurs manager Thomas Frank described Romero as a “young leader” who made a mistake, adding that he and sporting director Johan Lange had met with the captain to discuss the incident.

Tottenham will host Aston Villa in the FA Cup third round on Saturday, with Romero unavailable due to the suspension.