© EuroFootball.com
FIFA has decided to disqualify Germany's national team defender Torsten Frings for the semi-final match between Germany and Italy, which will take place on Tuesday.
This decision was made after a mutual altercation between the teams of Argentina and Germany after the quarter-final match last Friday, in which T. Frings was involved. After reviewing TV footage, it was determined that the German player hit Argentine forward Julio Ricardo Cruz.
The player himself claimed that he simply raised his hands to protect himself during the altercation.
The footballer was also fined 5000 Swiss francs and will be closely monitored over the next six months. If a similar situation occurs again, he may face disqualification.
"The team is very disappointed with this FIFA decision. We only found out about it while on the plane flying to Dortmund," said Germany's team manager Oliver Bierhoff.
"We don't see any serious reasons why we should agree with this decision. T. Frings will now train according to a special program to be ready to take the field in case we make it to the final."
Frings represented his country as a defender in all matches of this World Cup and was expected to play in Tuesday's match. Even FIFA itself stated that it should not take any action against the World Cup hosts, but later changed its decision after new evidence emerged.
