Tottenham could be missing 10 players for Aston Villa clash as Cristian Romero learns FA charge punishment

Tottenham Hotspur defender Cristian Romero has discovered the outcome of his FA charge following his dismissal against Liverpool in December.

The Argentina international was sent off in the dying embers of that 2-1 loss to the reigning Premier League champions, having incurred a second yellow card for kicking out at Ibrahima Konate after an aerial challenge.

Romero was incensed at John Brooks's decision and aggressively confronted the official before heading down the tunnel, after which he was charged with improper conduct by the FA.

The World Cup winner previously served a suspension in the 1-0 London derby victory over Crystal Palace and has since played the full 90 in each of Spurs' subsequent three Premier League games, during which Thomas Frank's men have failed to collect a single win.

However, the FA announced on Friday afternoon that Romero has now been slapped with another one-match ban - as well as a £50,000 fine - after admitting improper conduct.

Spurs' Cristian Romero banned and fined £50,000 for Liverpool incident

A statement from FA Spokesperson on social media read: "Cristian Romero has been sanctioned in relation to the Premier League fixture between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool on Saturday 20 December 2025.

"It was alleged that he acted improperly around the 93rd minute by failing to leave the field of play promptly and/or behaving in a confrontational and/or aggressive manner towards the referee.

"The defender subsequently admitted the charge, and an independent Regulatory Commission has now imposed a one-match suspension and £50,000 fine after a hearing.

"The Regulatory Commission's written reasons for these sanctions will be published in due course."

Romero will serve his one-game ban in Saturday's FA Cup third-round showdown against Aston Villa, before returning to action for next weekend's Premier League London derby at home to West Ham United.

The knockout contest with Villa will represent the South American's third banned game already this season, having also missed November's 2-1 home defeat to Fulham due to an accumulation of yellow cards.

How Tottenham can replace Cristian Romero as suspension confirmed

Romero could be one of 10 Tottenham absentees for the cup clash with Villa, as Dejan Kulusevski, Destiny Udogie, Dominic Solanke, Mohammed Kudus, James Maddison, Lucas Bergvall and Rodrigo Bentancur are all injured, while Yves Bissouma and Pape Sarr are competing at the Africa Cup of Nations.

However, the former Atalanta BC and Juventus man will be the only central defender missing for the contest with the Lions, against whom Frank can simply slot Kevin Danso into his place.

Radu Dragusin and Ben Davies are alternatives alongside Micky van de Ven, but the former is being strongly linked with an exit, and starting Davies would see Spurs line up with two left-footed centre-backs.