BERLIN, July 3: Germany midfielder Torsten Frings was banned from the World Cup semi-finals after a disciplinary committee found him guilty of punching Argentina forward Julio Cruz in a post-match fracas in the quarter-finals.

FIFA’s disciplinary committee announced the ban on Monday, the eve of Germany's semi-final match against Italy at Dortmund.

The 29-year-old Frings was banned for two matches — with one suspended for six months — and fined US$4,075.

That means Frings can return for either the World Cup final or the third-place playoff, but has a six-month probation period when any other kind of misconduct means he will have to serve the balance of punishment.

Argentina players Maxi Rodriguez and Leandro Cufre were cited after last Friday’s match at Berlin and initially all the German players were cleared, but FIFA started an investigation into Frings’ involvement after images of the skirmish were broadcast on TV in Germany and Italy.

German media reported on Monday that the Italian soccer federation gave FIFA the TV footage that sparked the investigation, hoping to have the hardworking midfielder suspended for the semi-final.

FIFA and the Italian federation denied that any national association had lobbied for the investigation.

Frings was contacted late on Sunday and asked to submit his account of the incident to FIFA's disciplinary committee by Monday morning. It took the committee more than four hours to find him guilty of violent conduct.

“We want first to see the grounds for the verdict, until then we won't be commenting,” German soccer federation spokesman Harald Stenger said.

Earlier, Germany coach Juergen Klinsmann said Frings was defending himself after violence erupted following the host nation's 4-2 win in the penalty shootout.

“We have to remember the brawl originated from Argentina. We were only reacting. After the game, emotions ran high. The referee reacted, that should be it,” Klinsmann said.

The mass-circulation Bild newspaper carried a front-page headline on Monday that said ‘Italians want Frings suspended!’

“Are the Italians afraid of us, or why are they calling for a suspension for Torsten Frings?” the accompanying article asked.

“Let me make it clear, there was no attempt whatever from the Italian federation to incite FIFA into doing something,” FIFA communications director Markus Siegler said. “The footage was not presented to us from Italian TV stations, it was shown in Germany.”

Footage from the 24 TV cameras at Berlin's Olympic Stadium had to be reviewed because Frings’s involvement did not appear on the official match broadcast, he said.

“New TV images were presented ... that possibly Torsten Frings was slapping the face of an Argentine player or hitting him in the head,” Siegler said.—AP