Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuain has received a four-match ban after appearing to push a referee following his red card against Udinese. The Argentine, who has scored 30 Serie A goals this season, has been fined €20,000 and will miss four of the remaining seven games of Napoli’s run-in as they look to close the gap on leaders Juventus. After reacting badly to picking up a second yellow card towards the end of Sunday’s 3-1 loss at Udinese, Higuain put his hands on referee Massimiliano Irrati and had to be restrained by his team-mates as he tried to confront Felipe, who was the recipient of the kick which earned him his marching orders. He also shoved a member of Napoli’s staff as he stormed down the Stadio Friuli tunnel, and his ban has now been confirmed and the details given.

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West Ham midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate has his red card from the match against Crystal Palace on Saturday rescinded by the FA. Kouyate saw red for a challenge on Dwight Gayle in the 2-2 draw at Upton Park. The FA said a claim of wrongful dismissal had been upheld, and the 26-year-old Senegal midfielder “will therefore not serve any suspension”.

An Italian prosecutor wants a six-month suspended prison sentence and an 8,000 euro fine for Antonio Conte over his alleged role in a match-fixing case, the Italy manager’s lawyer has said. Conte, who denies any wrongdoing, is accused of “sporting fraud” by prosecutors in the city of Cremona. The case focuses on 2011 when he was in charge of Siena in Serie B. The 46-year-old ex-Juventus boss agreed a deal on Monday to manage Premier League side Chelsea after Euro 2016. Conte has already served a ban imposed by the Italian soccer federation in connection with the 2011 case.

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Aston Villa say they will be taking no action against striker Gabriel Agbonlahor, whom they had suspended pending the outcome of an internal investigation into his conduct. The forward was pictured appearing to hold a shisha pipe while on holiday in Dubai during the international break. Caretaker boss Eric Black had said he took the decision to remove Agbonlahor from the squad because he did not want anything to distract the players. In a statement made through its Twitter account the club said: “Aston Villa Football Club has completed its investigation into Gabby Agbonlahor’s trip to Dubai over the international break. The club will be taking no further action.”

Nigeria’s Alex Iwobi has agreed a bumper new long-term Arsenal deal keeping him at the club until 2021. The Gunners have handed the exciting teenage forward a five-year contract worth in the region of £30,000 a week. Iwobi only signed his previous deal, understood to be worth up to £10,000-a-week, last October. That agreement was due to run until 2019. But he has made big strides since then and boss Arsene Wenger was keen to reward the 19 year-old academy product with improved terms. Iwobi has become a regular in the Arsenal first team since the turn of the year. He has started four of the last five games and followed up his first goal against Everton before the international break with another strike against Watford on Saturday.