Micah Richards missed Aston Villa's match at Tottenham on Monday after being handed a one-match suspension by the Football Association.
The Villa captain has also been fined £10,000 for breaching FA Rule E3 in that his behaviour in or around the tunnel area following the match with Swansea City on October 24 constituted improper conduct.
Richards, who accepted the charge, clashed on the pitch with Swansea defender Federico Fernandez - an incident that did not require censure - but continued arguing with the Argentine once the teams left the field.
The defender travelled with the rest of the Villa squad to White Hart Lane, but his hopes of featuring were dashed with the FA confirming earlier on Monday that his punishment would come into immediate effect.
Villa caretaker manager Kevin MacDonald took charge of the first team against Spurs, with new permanent boss Remi Garde taking a watching brief in the stands.
Garde was confirmed as Villa's new manager on Monday afternoon, with the Frenchman signing a deal until the summer of 2019.
Villa currently sit bottom of the Premier League, without a win since the 1-0 opening-day success at Bournemouth.