Soccer: pro anger at Materazzi ban
http://www.ansa.it/main/notizie/awnplus/english/news/2006-08-29_1295375.html
Footballers association says FIFA anti-Italy (ANSA) - Rome, August 29 - The Italian Professional Footballers Association (Assocalciatori) expressed anger Tuesday at the two-match ban FIFA gave Marco Materazzi for the infamous Zinedine Zidane World Cup head-butt incident .
Assocalciatori President Sergio Campana accused the sport's governing body of being anti-Italy in giving Materazzi a two-match ban, just one game less than it gave to the retired French star .
"We all agree that the two-match ban given to Materazzi is without precedent," Campana said .
"FIFA was prejudiced against Italy and this was shown by the fact that (President Sepp) Blatter did not hand the World Cup to Italy at the final in Berlin. That was enormously offensive" .
FIFA punished Materazzi because Zidane said the Azzurri defender provoked him by offending his family. But many independent observers thought the Italian's punishment was unfairly harsh when compared to that of the aggressor .
Campana claimed FIFA was biased against the Azzurri because of the recent referee-rigging scandal that has thrown the Italian game into turmoil .
He said FIFA would have preferred to see France win the World Cup final .
Materazzi has served half of his ban, but he is not part of the Azzurri squad for the upcoming Euro 2008 qualifiers against Lithuania (Saturday in Naples) and France (Wednesday, September 6 in Paris), a re-run of the World Cup final .
Campana also blasted the Italian Soccer Federation (FIGC) for not defending the Inter stopper better .
The FIGC, which is in the hands of emergency supremo Guido Rossi because of the scandal, did not appeal against Materazzi's punishment .
"At that particular moment the FIGC did not do all it could have," he said. "More effective efforts would have led to a different result. Materazzi did not deserve a two-match ban .
"Let's say the FIGC was distracted by the euphoria of the World Cup victory" .
Italy's World Cup-winning goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon agreed .
"The word scandalous is not enough to describe Marco's ban," the Juventus star said from an Azzurri training camp near Florence .
"I don't see why we Italians should pay. We deserve respect and I don't say that because we are world champions, but because we have achieved something in the history of soccer .
"It's not right to accept this punishment without asking for a crumb of an explanation" .
Campana and Buffon's comments echo those made by Azzurri midfielder Gennaro Gattuso on Monday .
"Marco didn't do anything wrong. It was unjust," Gattuso said. "We players and the Italian authorities should have done something" .
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