Totti banned three matches for spitting

Italy forward Francesco Totti, one of the biggest names at Euro 2004, has been banned for three matches for spitting at Denmark's Christian Poulsen.

European soccer's governing body (UEFA) ruled yesterday that Totti had been guilty of "gross unsporting conduct" after viewing video evidence from the Group C game on Monday which ended 0-0.

"We will not tolerate this kind of behaviour," said UEFA spokesperson William Gaillard. "We did not tolerate it in the past and we will not tolerate it in the future."

Totti, looking serious, left the building without comment after a hearing lasting more than three hours in a Lisbon hotel.

Gaillard said Totti, the glamour boy of Italian soccer, had admitted his guilt while the player's legal team said he had apologised to UEFA's disciplinary commission.

The ban means Totti will miss the remaining Group C games against Sweden and Bulgaria, and the quarter-finals if Italy get that far. It is a serious blow for the Azzurri who were among the pre-tournament favourites.

The Danish Football Association (DBU) made an official complaint to UEFA following the release of images showing the Italy forward clearly spitting in the face of Poulsen.

"Prosecutors" at the hearing had asked for a four-match suspension. Totti's lawyers wanted a one- or two-match ban.

Lawyers defending Totti said they were partially satisfied by the ruling which "leaves open the door to a decision on an appeal after seeing the reasons behind the sentence".

The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has 24 hours to decide whether to turn to UEFA's appeals body.

Totti was represented by Giulia Bongiorno, one of Italy's most high-profile lawyers who represented former Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti in his long-running Mafia trial.

Bongiorno said she had reminded the disciplinary commission of Totti's charity work and good character.

"He told me that 'I, Francesco Totti, did not recognise the Francesco Totti that was shown in that film. Francesco Totti is another person'," she said.

Bongiorno asked the commission to take into account that Totti's spit had not actually landed in Poulsen's face and she questioned the use of footage from a Danish television 'player cam' which she said had been "following Totti for 90 minutes".

UEFA's Gaillard said that the body "took into consideration Totti's admission, the particular circumstances of the tournament and seriousness of the incident".

Major blow for Italy

While the decision leaves Totti with a chance of playing a part in Euro 2004 should Italy progress, it nonetheless represents a major blow to the Azzurri's prospects.

Giovanni Trapattoni has built his team around the Roma captain, allowing him a free role, and the coach must now swiftly restructure his side for the game against the in-form Swedes in Porto today.

The incident further damages the image of Italian football just as fans hoped to put the team's bitter exit from the World Cup two years ago well behind them.

The Italians were knocked out in the second round of the World Cup to co-hosts South Korea in a controversial golden goal defeat in which Totti was sent off for diving.

Then, Totti was seen as the innocent victim of Ecuadorean referee Byron Moreno whose alleged bias towards the Koreans was part of a plot to keep South Korea in the competition, according to many Italians.

This time there has been little sympathy for Totti whose status in Italian football is comparable with that enjoyed by David Beckham in England or Ronaldo in Brazil. The official Italian team brochure produced for Euro 2004 describes Totti as "a symbol of Italian football worldwide" and the forward has several lucrative sponsorship deals.

The Totti case recalls an ugly incident at the 1990 World Cup when Dutchman Frank Rijkaard spat at German Rudi Voeller during a match in Milan.

Both players were suspended, though Voeller returned to help his team win the tournament.