Soccer: Bowyer fined $675,000 for brawl with teammate

LONDON - Newcastle United fined Lee Bowyer six weeks' wages today for his part in Sunday's (NZ time) on-field fight with teammate Kieron Dyer, but confirmed that both players would remain at the English Premier League club.

In a statement Newcastle described the fine as the maximum allowed, estimated by local media to total about £250,000 (about $675,000) after the ugly incident minutes from the end of their 3-0 home loss to Aston Villa at St James' Park.

Newcastle said it was the highest fine the club had ever handed out.

Former Leeds United and England midfielder Bowyer, 28, was also "severely censured" and warned as to his future conduct for what the club described as "his attack on Kieron Dyer".

Dyer escaped punishment and manager Graeme Souness said that club would be appealing on his behalf against his red card.

"The decision to fine and censure Bowyer was taken after chairman Freddy Shepherd and Souness interviewed both players this morning," the club said.

"Both players have had a fair hearing and the club is fully in support of Kieron Dyer's claim (of wrongful dismissal) to the Football Association (FA)."

Today's fine was the latest in a long line of punishments that Bowyer has suffered in his controversial career, beginning with an eight-week ban for testing positive for marijuana while a teenager at Charlton Athletic.

He was fined £4500 and narrowly escaped jail for throwing a chair in a McDonald's restaurant in 1996 and in 2001 was fined £64,000 by Leeds for a "breach of the club's code of conduct".

He had been cleared of causing grievous bodily harm and affray in two lengthy court cases and initially refused to pay the fine.

Bowyer was also twice banned for six matches for violent offences -- by the FA in 2002 for elbowing Liverpool's Gary McAllister and by Uefa in 2003 for stamping on the head of Malaga player Gerardo.

Earlier today, Bowyer and Dyer shook hands for the cameras outside the club's training ground as Souness confirmed that they would both be staying.

"They have been speaking over the weekend, they've had a laugh about it. Obviously they both regret what has happened," Souness said.

However, Bowyer can expect a tough time from some of his teammates, not least captain Alan Shearer, who described the brawl as "a disgrace".

- REUTERS