Mourinho sees eye-poke ban lifted

The two-match ban handed to
Real Madrid head coach Jose
Mourinho for poking
Barcelona's Tito Vilanova in the
eye has been lifted.
- Mourinho banned and fined
for eye poke
- Mourinho blames Barca for
eye poke
Mourinho was caught on
camera poking the eye of
Vilanova, Barcelona's assistant
coach at the time, after the final
whistle in Barca's 5-4 aggregate
win over Real in the Spanish
Super Cup last August.
The Portuguese was ultimately
handed a two-match
suspension while Vilanova, now
the Barca manager, was given a
one-match ban for his part in
the fracas, which was sparked
by a challenge from Marcelo on
Cesc Fabregas..
However, as part of an amnesty
by the Spanish Football
Federation (RFEF), the bans
have been overturned -
meaning the two coaches will
be on the touchline when
Madrid meet Barcelona in the
two-legged Spanish Super Cup
next month.
"Match bans up to four games
and stadium bans up to two
games will not be enforced,"
the RFEF ruled, a note
distributed at its general
assembly in Madrid said.
Barca president Sandro Rosell is
unlikely to be happy with the
decision after he said last
month: "We do not accept that
an aggression towards our
coach is not punished. If this
happens, we will speak to the
appropriate party - we will not
let it go unpunished."