Zidane loses his head-butt appeal

Zinedine Zidane's appeal against a five-match ban for head-butting an opponent was rejected yesterday by Uefa, European football's ruling body.

Zinedine Zidane's appeal against a five-match ban for head-butting an opponent was rejected yesterday by Uefa, European football's ruling body.

Juventus's French international was banned after he was sent off for a second successive Champions' League match during the 3-1 defeat to Hamburg. He was dismissed for butting Jochen Kientz.

Zidane told the appeals panel his frustration boiled over after he was "played out of the match" by unsporting methods, but the upheld suspension means he will miss the Italian club's match at Panathinaikos on Wednesday and four subsequent ties. Juventus need victory to reach the next stage.

Milan are set to revolutionise Italian football after threatening legal action against rules on the number of foreign players they can use.

The club moved to capitalise on a court decision ruling that discrimination against non-European Union players is illegal by threatening their own action unless the Italian Football Federation waives its rules allowing no more than three non-EU players to be fielded and five in an entire squad.

The move came the day after a court in Reggio Emilia, Italy, ruled against a ban on non-EU players in Serie C after a test case brought by Reggiana's Nigerian player, Ikpe Prince Ekong.