ZURICH, Switzerland - France legend Zinedine Zidane on Thursday was handed a
fine and a nominal three-match ban for his World Cup final head-butt on Italy
defender Marco Materazzi, who himself has been suspended for two games and fined
for provoking the incident.
File picture shows
Italy's Marco Materazzi as he falls on the pitch after being head-butted
by France's Zinedine Zidane (R) during their World Cup 2006 final soccer
match in Berlin July 9, 2006. [Reuters] |
Zidane's ban is made academic since he subsequently quit soccer, but the
34-year-old instead will spend three days working with world governing body
FIFA.
He was fined 7,500 Swiss francs ($6,000) while Materazzi must pay 5,000 Swiss
francs ($4,000) for the incident, which happened during extra time of the final,
with the game poised at 1-1.
Italy, which had been under pressure before Zidane was sent off, went on to
win 5-3 on penalties.
The ruling means Materazzi will miss Italy's trip to Paris for its Euro 2008
qualifier against the French on September 6, as well as its match against
Lithuania in Naples four days earlier.
FIFA confirmed the Italian defender's comments to Zidane had not been of a
racist nature.
World soccer's organizing body also confirmed Zidane would keep his Golden
Ball award as the tournament's best player.
Zidane's sending off hit the French at a time when they appeared to be
getting on top and also deprived them of their best penalty taker.
The midfielder later complained Materazzi had provoked him with remarks about
his family. FIFA, while excluding any racial element, has not disclosed exactly
what the Italian said to Zidane.
Both players have a history of disciplinary troubles, and the sending off was
the 14th of Zidane's career and his second in a World Cup - he picked up a
two-match ban for stamping on a Saudi Arabian opponent in the 1998 tournament
won by France.
Materazzi widely is remembered in England for the three red cards he picked
up in just 32 appearances for Everton.
"Zinedine Zidane will be suspended for three matches and fined 7,500 Swiss
francs," FIFA spokesman Andreas Herren told journalists. "However, the committee
has taken note that he has declared his career is over and taken note of
Zidane's pledge to do three days' community service within FIFA's humanitarian
activities.
"Marco Materazzi will be suspended for two official matches of the Italian
national team and fined the sum of 5,000 Swiss francs for repeatedly provoking
Zidane. In both of the players' statements, the two players expressed regret
over the incident and presented their excuses to FIFA and the football community
over what had happened. They both stressed that the verbal provocation was of an
insulting nature but not - and I stress - of any racist nature."
Match referee Horacio Elizondo, an Argentinian, and fourth official Luis
Medina Cantalejo, from Spain, also spoke with the disciplinary committee.
"I would like to reiterate that the fourth official saw the incident with his
own eyes and did not see it on the monitor," Herren said.
"The fourth officials are trained to see off-the-ball incidents and not just
concentrate on the action where the referee is involved and the regulations
state they are to report any violent incident to the referee."
Zidane earlier had given evidence to the hearing before leaving without
comment to reporters. Last week Materazzi presented his side of the case in a
separate hearing.
