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Aston Villa and Tottenham have been fined £125,000 each by the FA for the mass confrontation that broke out at the end of their FA Cup third round clash on 10 January

Both Tottenham and Aston Villa have been hit with £125,000 fines by the FA following a mass confrontation that erupted at the final whistle of their FA Cup third round tie.

The flashpoint was triggered when Joao Palhinha took exception to Ollie Watkins celebrating Villa's victory directly in front of him.

An FA statement confirmed: "An independent Regulatory Commission has sanctioned Villa FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC for the mass confrontation that occurred at their FA Cup match on Saturday 10 January.

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"It was alleged that both clubs failed to ensure their players and/or officials did not behave in an improper and/or provocative way after the final whistle.

"Tottenham Hotspur FC and Aston Villa FC subsequently admitted the charge against them. The Regulatory Commission imposed a £125,000 fine on both clubs, and their written reasons for these decisions can be seen below."

The misconduct charges were brought against both clubs earlier this month, with the findings of the investigation now made public, reports Football London.

In the immediate aftermath, Thomas Frank addressed the incident and appeared to point the finger at Villa forward Ollie Watkins for his role in sparking the melee by celebrating the result in Joao Palhinha's face.

Questioned about whether his squad has a discipline problem, he responded: "I don't think so. I guess you have seen the situation through?"I just saw it to be sure I saw what I saw Of course, it is all about keeping a cool head.

"The players gave everything out there, losing a tight game, the season is not going perfect and I think Ollie is very provoking in the way he's going down to celebrate in front of the Villa fans.

"He is just walking into João and he could just easily walk around. Everyone who has a been of a competitive nature, it is difficult, that can trigger things."

Meanwhile, Unai Emery insisted Villa were frustrated with Palhinha's tackle on Boubacar Kamara, which resulted in his early substitution due to injury.

He said: "It is the referee's work. I respect the referees and the competition. We were only angry because Boubacar Kamara was getting injured in in one action with Palhinha.

"The referee today, he did a fantastic job. Some moments happen with some players, we can understand in the circumstances."

More Villa news

Villa play host to RB Salzburg on Wednesday evening in their final group stage game of the Europa League.

While Villa have already qualified for the tournament's round of 16, regardless of a win, loss or draw at Villa Park, Unai Emery will be well aware that there's still plenty to play for this week, given just how important positioning headed into the knockout stages are this year.

All things considered, BirminghamLive breaks down everything you need to know about Villa's Europa League endeavours going forward, from how things stand ahead of the Salzburg clash to the list of teams they could end up playing in the round of 16...

Aston Villa injury latest ahead of the Premier League clash against Tottenham on Sunday

Aston Villa are targeting their fifth successive win in all competitions when they take on Tottenham Hotspur this weekend.

Unai Emery will be hoping to call on Ollie Watkins, who suffered an injury while on international duty with England. The striker returned to Villa earlier this week after being unable to train with the Three Lions, but he did score in England’s 3-0 win over Wales.

Amadou Onana returned from injury in Villa’s final match before the October break against Burnley, while Ross Barkley also came back after dealing with a personal issue earlier this season.

On Friday, Emery will be asked to provide a team news update ahead of the Spurs game. Before then, here’s a rundown of the players who could be doubts this weekend:

Tyrone Mings

Mings missed Villa’s matches against Feyenoord and Burnley due to an ankle injury but had hoped to return after the international break against Tottenham.

Possible return date: Tottenham (October 19)

Jadon Sancho

Sancho has missed the last three matches due to illness, Emery said. The winger was due to be on the bench against Fulham but felt unwell during the warm-up and subsequently missed the games against Feyenoord and Burnley.

Possible return date: Tottenham (October 19)

Ollie Watkins

Watkins faces a race against time to be fit for Spurs, though England manager Thomas Tuchel suggested he could be in contention on Sunday.

"It was very painful for him still,” Tuchel told the press on Monday. “It’s just not possible for him to train and also play, so we sent him home." He added that he thought Watkins would “try to make it for the weekend.”

Possible return date: Tottenham (October 19)

Youri Tielemans

The Belgian midfielder suffered a setback with the calf injury that has kept him out of the last six matches. He may not feature again until after the next international break, with Villa’s home match against Bournemouth scheduled for November 8. Tielemans faces around four more weeks on the sidelines.

Possible return date: Leeds United (November 22)

Emi Buendia

Buendia suffered a head injury late in the win over Burnley. Emery will be asked to provide an update on him, as well as the rest of the squad, during his press conference on Friday.

Possible return date: Unknown

Andres Garcia

Garcia has yet to feature for Villa this season. He was training before the season opener against Newcastle United and again before the Bologna match. He has only been named in one matchday squad, for Villa’s first European match of the campaign against Bologna.

Possible return date: Unknown

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