Italy's Totti suspended for three matches
Lisbon, Portugal (Sports Network) - Italy striker Francesco Totti was slapped with a three-match suspension by the UEFA disciplinary board after videotape showed him spitting on Denmark midfielder Christian Poulsen. Italy and Denmark played to a scoreless draw in each countries EURO 2004 opener on Monday.
Totti admitted guilt but still pleaded for a less severe suspension, referencing his record of solid past conduct. The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has 24 hours to appeal the Thursday morning decision.
"The body considered the player's admission of guilt, the particular circumstances of the tournament as well as the gravity of the offense," UEFA's director of communications and public affairs William Gaillard said. "The decision sends out a message that we will not tolerate this kind of behavior."
Totti will miss Italy's final two Group C contests against Sweden and Bulgaria, along with a quarterfinal match if the Azzurri advance out of group play.
The lawyers acting on behalf of Totti expressed that they were "partially satisfied" and reserved the right to "decide on the appeal after the reasons for the sentence are released this evening."
The incident, which happened in the 50th minute of the match against Denmark, was brought to UEFA's attention by the Danish Football Union (DBU).
"Totti, on several occasions, unprovoked, spat in Poulsen's face," the DBU explained after seeing the incident on tape.
The loss of Totti, who scored 20 goals this past season for AS Roma in the Serie A, could be crucial to Italy, which came into the competition as the Group C favorites and one of the top contenders to capture the title.
06/17 10:16:13 ET
