Zidane, Materazzi fined and banned

World Cup fallout:  Former France captain Zinedine Zidane and Italy defender Marco Materazzi were fined and banned by Fifa yesterday after the headbutting that marred the World Cup final.

Zidane, who has retired as a player, was fined 7,500 Swiss francs (€4,780) and handed a three-match ban by Fifa's five-man disciplinary committee following his red card for headbutting Materazzi in Berlin on July 9th.

As he is no longer a player, he offered to undertake three days' community service as part of Fifa's humanitarian activities, which the committee accepted.

The Italian defender, who admitted insulting Zidane, provoking the headbutt, was handed a two-match ban and fined 5,000 Swiss francs (€3,182). He attended a hearing last Friday, but his sentence has been fiercely criticised in Italy.

The bans apply to international competitive matches, even though it is a symbolic ban for Zidane, who has confirmed he has no intention of reversing his decision to retire.

Materazzi will miss Italy's first two Euro 2008 qualifiers, against Lithuania on September 2nd and, ironically, France on September 6th.

"In their statements, both players stressed that Materazzi's comments had been defamatory but not . . . racist," a Fifa statement said.

"During . . . their hearings both players also apologised to Fifa for their inappropriate behaviour and expressed their regret at the incident."

Fifa spokesman Andreas Herren told around 50 reporters at Fifa's headquarters: "Both players have a congruent, separate account of what was said. The words will remain private, but they were of an insulting nature, not a racist nature."

Paolo Maldini, captain of AC Milan and former captain of Italy's national team, said Fifa's ruling was scandalous.

"It's scandalous to suspend a player for having said something. It's the first time it's been done and it's only because Materazzi is Italian and because they wanted to justify the action of a great champion (Zidane) but (one who) who was in the wrong."

Maurizio Lupi, a deputy of Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party, also condemned the ruling: "It's a disgraceful sentence that shows yet again how Italy's football federation carries no weight at Fifa."

French Football Federation president Jean-Pierre Escalettes, on the other hand, said he was satisfied with the verdict.

"It is intelligent, measured and reasonable. It shows knowledge of the world of football

. . . The provoker of the incident has been punished," he told a news conference.

"It's a penalty that hits the one who, in my opinion, was responsible. Zidane wasn't the guilty one. You have to keep control but the responsible one is the one who provokes, the one who decides to destabilise a player by means other than sporting means."

Zidane headbutted Materazzi in the chest in the 110th minute of the final and was sent off by Argentine referee Horacio Elizondo.

Former Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira has revealed he is close to being appointed as the new coach of 2010 World Cup hosts South Africa.

Parreira resigned as Brazil coach following their elimination in the World Cup quarter-finals at the hands of France but is now reportedly being lined up to take over the Bafana Bafana in 2007.

He said: "There are only a few details left to agree on with the contract with the South African national team.

"The offer is serious, very serious."