Romero Faces Suspension Ahead of FA Cup Clash Against Aston Villa

Kevin Danso stepped in for Cristian Romero during the victory at Selhurst Park, but the Argentina international returned to the lineup for the New Year’s Day goalless draw against Brentford. Romero retained his position for the subsequent 1-1 draw with Sunderland and the 3-2 loss to Bournemouth on Wednesday.

Mathys Tel initially put Spurs ahead at the Vitality Stadium; however, Bournemouth turned the match around, leading 2-1 at halftime with goals from Evanilson and Junior Kroupi. Joao Palhinha then scored an acrobatic equalizer for Spurs in the 78th minute, seemingly securing a point for Thomas Frank’s side.

Nevertheless, Antoine Semenyo struck a dramatic winner in injury time, marking his last goal for Bournemouth before his transfer to Manchester City. Having scored 10 league goals this season, Semenyo completed his move to the Etihad Stadium on Friday morning.

Looking ahead, Spurs aim to regain their winning form in the FA Cup this Saturday evening as they face Aston Villa at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. However, they will have to do so without their captain, Romero, who has been handed an additional one-match ban.

A statement on the official Tottenham website confirmed: “Cristian Romero will be unavailable for Saturday’s FA Cup third round tie with Aston Villa. Our captain has been handed a one-match suspension by an Independent Regulatory Commission following a hearing concerning his FA charge on December 24. He will now miss the start of our 2025/26 FA Cup campaign at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this weekend.”

Romero was initially charged by the FA on Christmas Eve regarding his conduct following a dismissal during the match against Liverpool on December 20. The FA’s statement alleged that he acted improperly by failing to exit the pitch promptly and behaving aggressively towards the match referee after being sent off in the 93rd minute. Romero has until January 2, 2026, to respond to these charges.

In the wake of the recent loss to Bournemouth, Romero found himself in further controversy due to an Instagram post that appeared to criticize the club’s management. “At times like this, it should be other people coming out to speak, but they don’t – as has been happening for several years now. They only show up when things are going well, to tell a few lies,” the post stated, though the reference to “lies” was later deleted.

After discussions involving Romero, Frank, and co-sporting director Johan Lange, Tottenham confirmed that the issue was addressed internally without imposing punishment. “He is our captain; he hasn’t been fined,” Frank clarified. “That’s an internal matter, and we’ve opted for a constructive conversation to understand his perspective.”

Frank acknowledged the social media post as a “mistake,” emphasizing that it does not detract from Romero’s leadership. “Even though he is experienced, he is still a young leader. I think he was a true captain throughout the match, particularly at half-time when we were down 2-1, encouraging his teammates to keep believing.”

Romero’s suspension adds to the challenges facing Frank’s squad, which has already seen injuries to Lucas Bergvall and Rodrigo Bentancur during Wednesday’s match. Mohammed Kudus is also out for an extended period.

Further complicating matters, Dominic Solanke, James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, and Destiny Udogie remain unavailable, while Yves Bissouma and Pape Sarr are on international duty at AFCON.