German midfielder Torsten Frings has been suspended for the World Cup semi-final against Italy on Tuesday, a FIFA spokesman said.

FIFA launched an investigation after television executives from Italy said they had found evidence that Frings threw a punch at Argentina forward Julio Ricardo Cruz in the fracas that followed Germany's quarter-final shoot-out win last Friday.

The FIFA spokesman said Frings would be suspended initially for only one game, making him eligible for the final on Sunday if Germany beat Italy.

FIFA initially said it was taking no action against any Germany player but later re-opened the case, citing new evidence and probably after quite a bit of pressure from the Italians.