Juve punish Zebina slap Monday 3 September, 2007
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Jonathan Zebina is in for a ban and a hefty fine from his own club after slapping a cameraman at the Stadio Sant’Elia.
The Juventus defender was sent off for dissent in the 3-2 win at Cagliari and, on his way off the field, got into an argument with a member of the television crew on the sidelines.
The row got physical and Zebina was caught on camera slapping the man on the face before he was pulled away down the players’ tunnel.
The Disciplinary Commission will give its verdict on Tuesday, but in the meantime there are reports that Juve will come down hard on the Frenchman.
“It was a very ugly scene,” conceded Coach Claudio Ranieri when he was shown the footage of this unprofessional incident.
It was the latest in several tense moments in the new Serie A season, as in Week 1 Catania boss Silvio Baldini kicked Parma colleague Domenico Di Carlo up the backside during a touchline brawl.
Baldini has been suspended until September 30 for unprofessional conduct.
“The Baldini and Zebina incident are negative images that have to be removed from the sport,” said Federation President Giancarlo Abete.
“They were not an example to be set and these things should not be happening.
“Instead one must look to the good examples, such as the way Milan dealt with the Sevilla match. It was a great show of directorial quality and the ability of the players to work within a very difficult situation.”
The Rossoneri beat Sevilla 3-1 for the European Super Cup on Friday, just three days after Spaniard Antonio Puerta died from heart failure at the age of 22.
Both sets of players had Puerta’s name on their jerseys and the Milan squad pointed to it as a sign of respect when celebrating their goals and the trophy, dedicating the victory to him.
Channel 4