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Reformed?
Perennial bad boy Petit cited for 'outstanding sportsmanship'
Posted: Saturday July 04, 1998 01:18 PM
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Petit (left) was lauded for putting the ball out of play so that an injured Italian opponent could get treatment even though the gesture robbed his own team of a scoring chance (AP) |
PARIS (Reuters) -- Emmanuel Petit, the Arsenal midfielder once known as a
bad boy of French soccer, was praised by FIFA on Saturday for his
"outstanding sportsmanship" in a World Cup quarterfinal against Italy.
FIFA said Petit, who put the ball out of play so that an injured Italian
opponent could get treatment even though the gesture robbed his own team of
a scoring chance, would undoubtedly be in the running for an award.
"He deliberately put the ball out of play and we would like officially to
commend Emmanuel Petit for the gesture of outstanding sportsmanship," said
spokesman Keith Cooper.
Hosts France, watched
by President Jacques Chirac, won Friday's match 4-3 on a penalty shootout
at the Stade de France after 120 minutes of attacking football that failed
to break through the dogged Italian defense.
The pony-tailed Petit, who had a fine overhead goal-bound shot saved in
the fifth minute by Gianluca Pagliuca, could have capped an outstanding
performance when the ball came to him just outside the area in the last
minute of extra time.
But Italy's Luigi Di Biagio had been injured seconds before and was still
lying prone in the box.
Without hesitating, Petit turned and kicked the ball out of bounds,
refusing to take advantage of the situation. It was one of the last chances
France had of winning the match in normal play before the lottery of spot
kicks.
Di Biagio promptly returned to the field after being carried off. He then
slammed his penalty kick against the crossbar to give victory to
France.
Petit, whose world fell apart when his 20-year-old brother died on a
soccer pitch 10 years ago, had a rocky start in French football with a
reputation for a volatile temperament.
But after several turbulent years he settled down at Monaco and then
Arsenal, where his fighting spirit and unflappable presence in midfield
came through last season with an English premier league and cup double.
However, he still has a tough streak and last season was fined and banned
for four matches for pushing referee Paul Durkin, who also officiated at
the World Cup. The English Football Association charged him with
misconduct.
FIFA has a World Cup Fair Play award that goes to the team with the best
disciplinary record of the tournament.
England,
beaten by Argentina in
the second round on a penalty shootout, is currently leading that
competition despite the hooligan violence caused by their followers and
having midfielder David Beckham sent off in their last match.
The world body also has another award handed out at the end of the year
that can go to an individual or group.
Ireland fans won it last year for their sporting behavior after their team
was beaten by Belgium in the
World Cup qualifying playoffs for France '98.
Former winners of the award include AC Milan's Liberian striker George
Weah, who helped his compatriots when the country was ravaged by civil war,
and former England forward Gary Lineker, a player who was never sent off in
his career.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
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