Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand was banned for four games Thursday after being found guilty of elbowing Hull's Craig Fagan.
A Football Association disciplinary panel ruled Ferdinand was guilty of violent conduct in Saturday's 4-0 win and dismissed his denial of the charge as "frivolous."
Ferdinand, who recently returned from injuries that sidelined him for three months, will miss league games against Arsenal, Portsmouth, Villa and Everton. He'll be back for the League Cup final against Villa on Feb. 28.
If he had pleaded guilty, he would have received an automatic three-game ban. But Ferdinand contested the charge so that he could play in Wednesday's League Cup semifinal game against Manchester City, which United won 3-1 to reach the final against Aston Villa.
