Milan captain Paolo Maldini was today banned for one match after it was ruled that he had kicked out at Chievo’s Oliver Bierhoff at the weekend, thanks to the use of a television replay.
Maldini is the latest player to be banned by his respective domestic governing body after the use of video evidence. Inter defender Luigi Di Biagio was recently suspended for two games for a clash with Juventus midfielder Edgar Davids, while only last week in England Patrick Vieiraof Arsenal was banned after a disciplinary panel was shown TV footage.
Authorities are allowed to look at TV footage if the referee fails to spot an incident at the time. This loophole allowed Roma forward Francesco Totti to escape suspension after striking Lazio’s Dejan Stankovic. The referee saw the incident when it happened, but only gave a foul, meaning no further action could be taken.
