A top Italian cardiologist said Friday that Zinedine Zidane could have caused Marco Materazzi to suffer a heart attack when he head-butted him in the chest in the World Cup final.
The declaration comes amid growing Italian indignation at the punishment FIFA gave Materazzi for provoking Zidane's violent conduct.
FIFA's disciplinary committee banned the defender for two games Thursday - just one match less than Zidane.
"It is well documented that a sudden violent blow to the area around the heart can cause cardiac arrest, especially in young athletes, when the heart is vulnerable because the electrical circuit is destabilized (by physical exertion)," said Professor Francesco Furlanello, one of the leading figures in his field.
Furlanello joined the chorus of those protesting that the similarity of the punishments puts abusive language on the same level as - potentially lethal - violent behaviour. On Friday Sports Minister Giovanna Melandri said FIFA has adopted a "discriminatory attitude towards Italy".
Green party MP Angelo Bonelli described it as a "head-butt to Italian sport".
"Putting Materazzi's words on the same level as Zidane's violent, dangerous reaction is a terrible message to the public and, above all, to the young people of the world," he said.
Communist Refoundation MP Pietro Folena said the decision was an "incitement to violence".
Zidane said on French television he did not regret the head-butt because the Inter defender offended "the women in my family".
Materazzi denied insulting Zidane's mother, claiming that "mothers are sacred to me" after losing his own while still a teenager. But he admitted to Milan daily Corriere della Sera that he had offended Zidane's sister. The ban on Zidane is symbolic because he has retired from the game.
Materazzi was also fined 3,182 euros for "repeatedly provoking" his opponent. Zidane will have to pay a 4,773-euro penalty and has agreed to do three days of community service with children and youngsters too.
The committee did not give in to calls to strip Zidane of the Player of the Tournament award. Parts of the international press agreed that the FIFA
ruling was unfair. Authoritative German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung said it was "scandalous" and amounted to an "acquittal" for Zidane.
"An international player has never been given such a light sentence before for such a brutal act," the piece read.
Paul Doyle wrote in British newspaper The Guardian that Zidane had "hoodwinked" FIFA with his talk of provocation "into declaring that swearing at someone is only marginally less objectionable than physically assaulting them". Even French sports daily L'Equipe admitted that the decision had a "perverse side to it".
"In this way, FIFA links provocation with the reaction of the provoked person in a dangerous way," an editorial read.
"A reaction will be needed for provocation to be punished, a bit like a pass is needed for a goal".
Italy won the World Cup 5-3 on penalties after Materazzi equalised an early Zidane penalty, leading the match to end 1-1 after 120 minutes of play.
Some commentators have claimed Zidane, who was sent off for the head-butt eight minutes from the end of extra time, looked increasingly frustrated at France's inability to break the Italian defence despite dominating the latter stages. Within the soccer world there is a widespread feeling that such an act as Zidane's is unforgiveable no matter how much he was provoked, pundits say.
Trying to rattle opponents in various ways is part of the game, they say.
Materazzi already had a bad-boy image beforehand, due to his record of involvement in off-the-ball incidents. In 2004, for example, he was banned for eight matches for punching Siena defender Bruno Cirillo in the face.
The ban was one of the longest in Serie A history.
