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| July 22, 2006 | Saturday | Jumadi-ul-Sani 25, 1427 |
FIFA criticised for banning Materazzi
ROME, July 21: FIFA's decision to hand Marco Materazzi a two-match suspension for insulting Zinedine Zidane in the World Cup final drew fierce criticism from the Italian press on Friday.Italy defender Materazzi was banned and fined 3,100 euros on Thursday by a disciplinary committee of world football's governing body.
But Italy's newspapers were outraged by the punishment, with La Stampa describing it as a “scandalous sentence.”
Leading sports daily Gazzetta dello Sport's headline read “Zidane-Materazzi 3-2, Italy is angry” and said it was “too low a punishment for Zizou.”
Gazzetta continued: “Players, bosses, politicians and many fans were all furious with the sentence.”
Materazzi had admitted abusing Zidane during extra-time in the final in an incident which caused the France captain's dismissal after he reacted by head-butting the Inter Milan star.
Zidane, who was given a three-match ban and fined 4,700 euros by FIFA, later claimed in a television interview that Materazzi had insulted his mother and sister, while lip-readers employed by several newspapers said the Italian had called his rival a “terrorist.”
But Republica said “There is no law that can justify putting the provocation and the reaction on the same level. In the Zidane-Materazzi case this reaction could have caused a death by giving the victim heart failure.”
Gazzetta's leader editorial claimed it was an “injustice”, while Corriere dello Sport said it gave a “reward to violence.”
Italian Football Federation chief Guido Rossi said: “The definitive verdict of the FIFA disciplinary committee will be respected by us.
“But the episode will remain consigned to the television images and to the public opinion of the entire world.”
Inter Milan president Giacinto Facchetti believes his player was harshly treated and told the club's website: “While the respect and the consideration I have for FIFA remains and always will remain, I wish to underline the disproportion for the penalty inflicted on Materazzi and the one inflicted on the French player or between the player who provoked a reaction and the one who reacted.”
Materazzi will miss Italy's Euro 2008 qualifying matches against Lithuania on Sept 2 and a World Cup final rematch against France on Sept 6.—Agencies
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