Manchester City midfielder Patrick Vieira is set to escape a ban for his dismissal against Inter Milan yesterday.
Reports have suggested the dismissal could see Vieira banned for the start of the new season.
But a spokesman for the FA told Press Association Sport: "If a player gets a red card in a friendly he gets a ban for his next friendly, not for competitive matches.
"If it is overseas, it is dependent on it being reported to us by the host FA.
"In general terms, we retain the right to charge players in the most serious of misconduct cases and make sanctions applicable to competitive first-team fixtures if it is felt necessary."
The spokesman indicated the incident involving Vieira was not viewed as being such a case.
