Juventus midfielder Pavel Nedved was banned for two matches Tuesday for elbowing an opponent in the Serie A last week.
Nedved was sent off in the closing minutes of Juventus' 1-0 win over Genoa on Sunday and will miss Saturday's game at Napoli and next week's match against Empoli.
The Italian soccer league's disciplinary committee also suspended Juventus coach Claudio Ranieri for one match after he was dismissed from the sidelines for protesting.
Five other players were also banned for one to three matches for various offenses.
It is not the first time Nedved has lashed out at a Genoa player. The midfielder received a five-match ban last season for deliberately stepping on an opponent at the Luigi Ferraris stadium, when both teams played in the second division.
Juventus is second in the Serie A with 17 points, three behind Inter Milan but five more than Genoa, which is tied for fifth.
19 October 2007
Portuguese midfielder Tiago Mendes' days at Juventus seem to be numbered after the unsettled ace admitted his frustration at the club.
The ex-Chelsea man has struggled to make his mark and is poorly suited to boss Claudio Ranieri's new tactics.
Having experienced harsh criticism from fans and the Press alike, summer arrival Tiago may be ready to call a premature halt to his Italian adventure.
'If things carry on like this I'll leave in January,' the 26-year-old raged.
'I've spoken to Ranieri and told him that I'm not happy because this isn't what I came here for. So far my time with Juve has been a disappointment. I thought I'd be a first-choice player, but it has been the exact opposite and my time here hasn't been easy. Initially I admit that I felt tired, but I got back into shape by the time the season started and the boss has still preferred other players.'
Tiago is set to sit on the bench once more for the Old Lady's game against Genoa this weekend.
19 October 2007
Genoa Coach Gian Piero Gasperini says that Juventus have always been unwilling to give their young players a chance because they have forever wanted immediate success.
The Bianconeri currently have an exceptional batch of young players coming through at the club. The likes of Domenico Criscito, Giorgio Chiellini, Antonio Nocerino, Sebastian Giovinco, Claudio Marchisio and Raffaele Palladino are all tipped as stars of the future.
Gasperini was a coach of the Juventus youth team from 1994 until 2003, before moving on to take the job as head coach of Crotone. As a player he also grew up in the Bianconeri youth system, joining the club as a nine-year-old before being released to Palermo when he was 20.
Having spent more than 20 years at the club, Gasperini is well-placed to offer his opinion and he believes that Juventus have always favoured buying established stars, rather than giving their youngsters a chance.
'Juve have always been a little snobbish with their young players,' said the 49-year-old. 'I am not sure why this is but perhaps because there was always the necessity to win things immediately and so it is not easy to give the youngsters a chance.'
Since the Calciopoli crisis in 2006, Juventus have adopted a different approach and with a plethora of talented players coming through, the future looks bright for the Old Lady.
05 October 2007
Antonio Di Natale will not play in Atalanta-Udinese after the sudden death of his mother. 'There are more important things than football.'
The forward has been on sensational form of late with a series of decisive and spectacular goals for both Udinese and Italy.
He was set to take a leading role in Saturday's trip to Bergamo, but Coach Pasquale Marino and the club have released him on compassionate leave.
'There are more important things than football,' said Marino. 'Toto was not put under any pressure and we are close to him.'
In fact, if he feels up to it, Di Natale can still be added to the squad ahead of the 17.00 UK time kick-off at the Stadio Azzurri d'Italia.
'As for the tactical situation, we have valid alternatives like Antonio Floro Flores. He is in good shape and once he scores that first goal, he will get even better.'
The Friulani have won three of their last four games, interrupted by a surprise 3-2 defeat at Genoa.
'We are looking for consistency. That is why, even though we will play our usual attacking style, I will ask my team to be particularly wary of their dangerous strikers.'
Roma and Italy midfielder Alberto Aquilani has been ruled out of action for around two months after pulling a thigh muscle in Tuesday's 1-0 Champions League defeat at Manchester United.
Roma had feared the 23-year-old midfielder could be missing for six months following a similar injury last year.
"Alberto is better than yesterday," Roma doctor Mario Brozzi told reporters, adding that he was likely to be out for two months.
Aquailani had forced his way into the national side for last month's 2-1 win in Ukraine but he will now miss the Euro 2008 Group B qualifier with Georgia in Genoa on Oct 13.
