Villa were today still weighing up whether to make an official complaint to the Football Association over Joey Barton’s spat with Gabby Agbonlahor.

Newcastle midfielder Barton appeared to mouth abuse in Agbonlahor’s direction in Villa’s 2-0 defeat on Monday night and yesterday the club requested footage of the incident from Setanta TV.

Legal advisers are believed to have spent several hours examining tapes and Villa could even decide to consult lip-reading experts. The investigation is into matters of a racist nature.

Villa flew out to Czech Republic this morning for tomorrow’s UEFA Cup clash against Slavia Prague with a final decision over whether to contact the FA still to be made. No deadline has been set.

Barton will not be punished for the initial clash after match official Steve Bennett decided against issuing a retrospective charge yesterday but they could still take action if Villa complain.

“We take seriously any allegations of racist abuse and will act accordingly if we receive any official complaint from Villa,” said an FA spokesman.

“We are aware of the rumours circulating and have had a number of calls on the subject but it is difficult to comment any further on something that has no further substance to it.”

Barton insisted he had a “clear conscience”, insisting the pair shook hands after the game.

Meanwhile, Villa’s Stephen O’Halloran has joined Swansea on a three-month loan deal.

“I’m out of contract at the end of the season, so I need to impress both managers – at Aston Villa and Swansea,” said O’Halloran.