YOKOHAMA (Japan), June 4: Former World Player of the Year Rivaldo will learn on Wednesday whether he will be punished for his theatrics in Brazil’s opening World Cup match against Turkey on Monday.

The World Cup disciplinary committee had been scheduled to study Rivaldo’s actions, which outraged the Turkish team, on Tuesday to see if the Brazilian was guilty of simulating a foul.

Referees have been told to make a crackdown on “simulation” their number one concern at the month-long tournament.

A spokesman at world governing body FIFA told Reuters on Tuesday a decision had now been delayed until Wednesday.

“The matter will be dealt with tomorrow,” he said.

On Monday Turkey midfielder Hakan Unsal was sent off after kicking the ball at Rivaldo as he waited to take a corner near the end of Brazil’s 2-1 win in Ulsan, South Korea.

Although the ball hit Rivaldo in the legs, he collapsed dramatically to the ground clutching his face in apparent agony.

Rivaldo escaped punishment on the field, although he was booed by fans at the match, and will probably be fined by FIFA. Fines introduced for the first time at this World Cup for play-acting cover only players who have been booked or sent off.

The head of Turkey’s football association Haluk Ulusoy urged FIFA to punish Rivaldo who he said had fallen over as if hit by a brain haemorrhage.

“It was acting,” Ulusoy said. “They told us when we came here that any action designed to fool a referee would be punished.”

FIFA said last week they would review all bookings and red cards for simulation the day after the match to prevent players being wrongly punished.

“Simulation is cheating, whether it is diving or rolling around pretending to be hurt when you haven’t been touched,” FIFA general secretary Michel Zen-Ruffinen said when announcing the crackdown in March.

Rivaldo, who had earlier converted the penalty which gave Brazil a 2-1 victory, was unrepentant.

“My experience counts,” he said. “I think he deserved to be sent off, of course he didn’t get me in a place where I could be hurt.”

Turkey players and officials were outraged with coach Senol Gunes describing the decision by South Korean referee Kim Young-joo as an injustice.

“The referee changed the course of the game,” he said. “The referee made an abnormal error.”

Two Turkish teenagers were detained by police in Berlin’s Potsdamer Platz shopping plaza for throwing bottles at Brazilian fans after the incident. Hundreds of fans had gathered to watch the match on a giant screen.

“It wasn’t the Samba but a Korean who destroyed us,” was the front page headline in Hurriyet daily.

Rivaldo’s histrionics were widely condemned by players and coaches at the World Cup co-hosted by Japan and South Korea.

Spain midfielder Ivan Helguera said Rivaldo’s reaction was unforgivable and should be punished. “I’d say yes, it should be sanctioned,” he said.

Germany coach Rudi Voeller also criticised Rivaldo’s performance.

“Brazil’s victory was deserved but what Rivaldo did was not right,” he said. “Such a great player shouldn’t behave that way.”

Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari defended his player, saying Rivaldo had put his hands on his face to prevent the ball hitting him there.

“The ball hit him on the knee and then bounced upwards,” Scolari said. “He put his hand on his face to stop being hit on the face.”

In the 1994 World Cup, Italy’s Mauro Tassotti was banned for eight matches for elbowing a Spanish player in the face. The referee missed the incident but FIFA took action after the game. The ban ended the defender’s international career. —Reuters