JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Australia captain Tim Cahill’s one-match ban has been confirmed after he was sent off in the World Cup group game against Germany, FIFA said Thursday.
Cahill was sent off for a foul on Bastian Schweinsteiger in the 56th minute of Australia’s 4-0 loss Sunday. The midfielder received an automatic one-match ban covering Saturday’s game against Ghana, but FIFA could have increased the penalty.
FIFA spokesman Nicolas Maingot said the one-match ban would stand. Schweinsteiger approached Cahill in the mixed zone following the match and told Cahill the red card was undeserved.
“We are glad that they did not deem the tackle serious enough to warrant anything further,” said John Boultbee, a spokesman with the Australian football federation.
South Africa coach Carlos Alberto Parreira, meanwhile, will not be sanctioned over negative comments he made about the referee after the 3-0 defeat to Uruguay on Wednesday night, Maingot said.
Parreira said referee Massimo Busacca “was the worst referee so far” after he sent off host nation goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune for tripping Luis Suarez, which led to a penalty. Parreira also said that Busacca “doesn’t deserve to be here” and the referee was “giving yellow cards that weren’t yellow cards.”
FIFA reviewed the coach’s comments, but said “there was no violation of the FIFA disciplinary code,” Maingot said.
FIFA said it had not yet looked at a request by Portugal to rescind the yellow card given to Cristiano Ronaldo in Tuesday’s 0-0 draw against Ivory Coast. Guy-Roland Demel brought down Ronaldo with a sliding foul and referee Jorge Larrionda booked both for squaring up to each other.
