Carlos: Can play club football

Zurich: Brazil defender Roberto Carlos has been provisionally banned from all international football until Fifa’s disciplinary committee consider his sending-off in last week’s friendly against Portugal.

Roberto Carlos was sent off in Brazil’s 1-2 defeat in Porto on March 29, after apparently pushing referee Alon Yefet, of Israel.

It prompted Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson to call for him to be banned from Tuesday’s European Champions League quarter-final first-leg clash with his team in Spain.

But Fifa’s announcement on Monday made clear that the attacking left-back will be free to play against United at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

The incident was included in the referee’s official report, leading Marcel Mathier, the Swiss chairman of Fifa’s disciplinary committee, to use special powers to suspend Roberto Carlos until the disciplinary committee can meet.

“According to the Fifa Disciplinary Code (FDC), world football’s governing body can intervene if a match official is harmed,” read a statement from Fifa.

“Furthermore, the FDC also allows the Fifa Disciplinary Committee to intervene in serious cases arising from a friendly match. Any attack on a referee is to be regarded as a serious matter.

“The chairman of the Fifa Disciplinary Committee — Marcel Mathier (Switzerland) — can, in emergencies, pronounce a provisional sanction in cases in which it is likely that an offence was committed.

“As the documents submitted to Fifa confirm the inappropriate behaviour of Roberto Carlos, Mr Mathier has decided to provisionally suspend him from all Brazilian national team matches — whether friendly or competitive — until the Fifa Disciplinary Committee can pass an official decision in this regard.”

Carlos was dismissed after protesting at the award of a free-kick to Portugal and has since denied that his appeals to referee Yefet constituted an act of aggression.

Carlos has also been reported in Spanish newspapers as playing down the likelihood of Fifa taking any action over the incident.

Fifa banned Portuguese midfielder Joao Pinto from all matches for four months in June 2002 after he was found guilty of punching referee Angel Sanchez in a World Cup match against South Korea.

Carlos is free to contest the provisional decision, but must register his appeal with Fifa’s Appeal Committee before 2300 GMT on Wednesday.