Villa duo to be hit with huge fine

Aston Villa are expected to hand the biggest fine in the history of football to two of their star players, according to a report.

Defenders Richard Dunne and James Collins were at the centre of a booze-fuelled fracas during a team-building trip to a spa hotel last week, in which the pair got drunk and set about insulting their team-mates and club coaching staff.

Both players have apologised, but the Daily Mirror claims that Villa chiefs are so furious about the debacle, and after the disciplinary action is complete they are likely to fine the players up to an eye-watering £300,000 each. Such a fine would be the biggest ever given to a player, and enough to sting even the wallets of the £50,000-a-week stars.

But the club could face a challenge from the players' union if it goes ahead with the staggering fine, however. PFA rules limit players' fines to a maximum two weeks' wages, yet a Villa confirmed to the Mirror that, "the end result is likely to be a fine of four to six week's salary."

The Mirror also reports that the two players stayed behind in the hotel while their team-mates went paintballing, with neither able to take part as they are recovering from injuries. Both were reportedly drunk by the end of the team's dinner that night, after which the 'fun' began - with teenage star Fabian Delph apparently among the players picked out for face-to-face abuse by Dunne.