Reprieve for Batty

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

David Batty, the Blackburn and England midfielder, has escaped further punishment from the Football Association for his controversial tackle on West Ham's Ian Bishop at Upton Park on Sunday.

Batty was booked for taking out Bishop with a high first-half tackle as West Ham dealt Blackburn's Premiership title hopes a serious blow with a 2-0 defeat.

The FA requested a tape of the match from Sky Sport in order that they could study the incident, and also the challenge of Tim Sherwood on Don Hutchison in which the Blackburn captain's elbow appeared to strike the former Liverpool player in the face.

Seven years ago Arsenal's Paul Davis was fined £3,000 and banned for nine games after video evidence showed him to be guilty of a similar offence, though on that occasion the recipient, Southampton's Glenn Cockerill, suffered a broken jaw.

Mike Parry, an FA spokesman, said: "Batty has already been dealt with by the referee, but the official was unsighted for the Sherwood incident."