- REUTERS
Germany's manager Oliver Bierhoff (second right in black) and coach Juergen Klinsmann (right) try to hold back the Argentina team during a confrontation after the penalty shoot-out of the World Cup 2006 quarter-final soccer match between Germany and Argentina in Berlin yesterday.BERLIN (Reuters)
PLAYERS AND officials from both teams clashed on the pitch and an Argentine substitute was given a red card after Germany beat Argentina 4-2 on penalties to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup yesterday.
Although German coach Juergen Klinsmann and his Argentine counterpart Jose Pekerman played down the incident, FIFA is likely to take a very dim view of it, especially as TV pictures were beamed to a huge global audience.
Argentina's Leandro Cufre, an unused substitute, got the red card after the penalty shoot-out, FIFA said in its official match report.
German team manager Oliver Bierhoff, caught in the middle of the mêlée which immediately followed the penalty shoot-out, said he had intervened after an Argentina substitute trod on German defender Per Mertesacker.
UNSPORTING THING TO DO
"Per was pretty angry about what was a very unsporting thing to do and the players started going at each other. I saw that and wanted to put myself between them so the players didn't do anything stupid," Bierhoff told reporters.
"I'm very sad in a way that a picture like that has gone out into the world," the former international striker said.
Klinsmann put it down to the heat of the moment.
"I'd like to remind people that in football there is so much tension, so many emotions and if it goes all the way to penalties someone can lose control.
"Football is just so emotional. It's just normal. It's no big deal, no problem at all."
Pekerman added: "At times emotions run away with themselves at a match and it's not what we feel.
"Germany and ourselves have great respect for each other and this was a thing in the heat of the moment."
INCURRING WRATH
FIFA officials and referee Lubos Michel who were all caught up in the chaos and punches and kicks, appeared to be thrown in scenes which went on for approximately 90 seconds in front of a 72,000 crowd.
The trouble appeared to start when midfielder Tim Borowski gestured towards the Argentina players to "keep quiet" having scored his penalty to make it 4-2 in Germany's favour.
Several of the South American players walked towards him and when Esteban Cambiasso's final Argentina spot-kick was saved by German goalkeeper Jens Lehmann, the Argentina defender Fabricio Coloccini approached Germany's Oliver Neuville.
Borowski said Argentinian players had made "certain movements" to try to provoke him before he took his penalty.
"I don't want to go into details but the movements were there and the Argentinians can't exactly declare themselves innocent," he told reporters. "They're not exactly saints."
FIFA will examine video footage of the incident and both teams could be liable for heavy fines or other sanctions.
