Aussie midfielder Cahill handed one-match ban
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The World Cup dream of Australian soccer player Tim Cahill has been saved, after he was given a one-match ban rather than two for his straight red card against Germany, Australia's media reported on Friday.
Cahill will be free to take part in Australia's final Group D match against Serbia on June 23 after FIFA's disciplinary committee decided on Thursday not to increase his automatic one-match ban.
Football Federation Australia (FFA) had put a submission to FIFA on Cahill's behalf, including written witness statements and proof of Cahill's previous good disciplinary record.
"Tim has been given the minimum penalty available which is what we argued for in our detailed submission to FIFA over the incident," FFA head of national teams John Boultbee told Australian Associated Press (AAP).
"A straight red card constitutes a minimum of a one-match suspension and it is only in extreme circumstances, like mistaken identity, that a suspension is ever overturned. We are glad that they did not deem the tackle serious enough to warrant anything further."
After their 4-0 hammering by Germany, the Australian team must beat Ghana to stay alive in the tournament. They are likely to need two wins to qualify for the second stage and match their 2006 achievement, AAP wrote.
Australia with face Ghana in Rustenburg on Saturday (midnight AEST)
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