Pires gets two-match ISL ban for tunnel altercation

Villarreal's Robert Pires reacts during a news conference in Villarreal, April 6, 2009. Villarreal are set to play Arsenal in their Champions League quarter-final, first leg soccer match on Tuesday. REUTERS/Heino Kalis

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Former France midfielder Robert Pires has been slapped with a two-match ban and a hefty fine for a halftime altercation with an opposition coach in the Indian Super League (ISL), organisers said on Saturday. Brazilian great Zico, coach of FC Goa, said Pires told him about being punched in the face by Atletico de Kolkata coach Antonio Lopez Habas in the tunnel when the teams left for the halftime break during Thursday's match in Goa. Both teams wrote to the league, which referred the matter to the regulatory commissioner. The disciplinary committee decided to suspend Spaniard Habas for the next four matches while also fining him 500,000 Indian rupees ($8,175), the ISL said in a statement. Cavin Lobo's second-half brace took the Kolkata franchise, co-owned by La Liga champions Atletico Madrid, to a 2-1 win in the ill-tempered match during which seven players were shown yellow cards. The Kolkata side, who lead the table with 10 points in the eight-team competition, will also be without Ethiopian striker Fikru Lemessa for the next two fixtures after he was banned for headbutting an opposition player during the same match. Both Pires and Lemessa have also been fined the same amount of money as Habas. ($1 = 61.1600 Indian rupee) (Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly; editing by Rex Gowar)