Freeze for spitting disqualified for three matches. © EuroFootball.com

Swiss national team striker Alexander Frei was punished with a three-game ban for an incident during this year's European Championship match in Portugal against the England team, where television cameras caught him spitting at England's Steven Gerrard.

After this incident was made public, Frei was initially handed a 15-day ban, meaning he would not have been able to play until the end of the championship. However, since Switzerland withdrew from the championship after the group stage, UEFA's Disciplinary Committee decided to change the punishment to a three-game ban.

Since Frei missed the final group match against France due to the initial 15-day ban, he will now have to miss only two matches with the Swiss national team.

The Swiss Football Federation announced that they will not appeal this decision, meaning Frei will not represent his country in the World Cup qualifying matches against the Faroe Islands and Ireland, which will take place in September of this year.