Barnet manager Dean Brennan has been handed a nine-game ban and £2,000 fine for verbally abusing female referee Kirsty Dowle during their home defeat by Shrewsbury on 6 September. The 45-year-old was sent off midway through the first half for dissent and charged by the Football Association for making references to the referee's gender.

The FA treated the incident as an "aggravated breach" due to the gender-related comments, which Brennan denied at a hearing. An independent commission found him guilty and imposed the suspension, which will keep him out of the dugout until the visit of Cambridge United on 28 March. The FA will publish the written reasons and decision in due course.

Brennan, who led Barnet back to the EFL last season after promotion from the National League, maintained his innocence in a statement. "Throughout this case I have categorically denied the FA charge of discrimination," he said, adding that "there is a place in football for everyone." The ban represents a significant setback for the League Two club after their recent promotion success under his management.