Barthez handed six-month ban for spitting

Fabien Barthez may have received a six-month ban from the French Football Federation yesterday but, in reality, the former Manchester United goalkeeper has been treated leniently for spitting at a referee. With half the ban suspended, and the other three months running across the close season, Barthez will miss just five matches. Four of them will be for Marseille, who are already out of the running for a French title Lyon have all but secured. The other is an international friendly.

Fabien Barthez may have received a six-month ban from the French Football Federation yesterday but, in reality, the former Manchester United goalkeeper has been treated leniently for spitting at a referee. With half the ban suspended, and the other three months running across the close season, Barthez will miss just five matches. Four of them will be for Marseille, who are already out of the running for a French title Lyon have all but secured. The other is an international friendly.

The 33 year old, who could have been banned for a year, was sanguine about his suspension. "I knew I'd be sanctioned," he said. "I'll prepare for the next season with Olympique Marseille and get ready for the national team because my goal is to play in the World Cup."

Barthez, whose ban starts after today's match at Nantes, will be available for France's friendly against Argentina on August 17, and their September World Cup qualifiers against Faroe Islands and the Republic of Ireland.

Barthez was reported for spitting at Moroccan referee Abdellah El Achiri during a friendly between Wydad Casablanca and Marseille in February. A brawl erupted on the pitch after Marseille's Frederic Dehu was sent off and the match was abandoned with 10 minutes left. Barthez, who had been substituted, got off the bench and confronted the referee.

French sports minister Jean-Francois Lamour said he was surprised at the leniency of Barthez's ban "because I think that respect for the referee is of paramount importance." Bernard Saules, president of the National Union of French Referees (UNAF), said he was "very angry" adding: "These people have got a real nerve. It's simply ridiculous."

The mildness of Barthez's punishment was underlined by the five-match ban meted out to Francesco Totti by the Italian FA, not traditionally a strict body, for his midweek dismissal. The Roma skipper was sent off for kicking then hitting an opponent. Also starting a ban today is Zlaten Ibrahimovic who was given a three-match sanction after video evidence showed him elbowing Internazionale defender Ivan Cordoba during Juventus' midweek defeat.

Ibrahimovic will thus be absent as Juventus travel to Lazio tomorrow seeking a response to a loss which enabled Milan to draw level at the top of Serie A once more.

Coach Fabio Capello is already without striker David Trezeguet, who has an ankle injury, and defenders Paolo Montero, Jonathan Zebina, Gianluca Pessotto and Alessandro Birindelli.

Milan, who face PSV Eindhoven in their Champions League semi-final first leg match on Tuesday, are without midfielders Rui Costa and Andrea Pirlo for today's visit of Parma.