The mystery over the role played by television in Zidane's dismissal also grew yesterday with Fifa strongly denying suggestions that the fourth official, Luis Medina Cantalejo, had seen a TV replay before alerting the referee, Horacio Elizondo.

Elizondo and his linesmen had clearly missed Zidane's attack on Materazzi, but after a lengthy delay the Argentine consulted Cantalejo before showing the Frenchman the red card.

Fifa said Cantalejo, a Spanish referee, would not have had access to TV replays, although there is a monitor on the officials' bench where the fifth official, in this case another Spaniard, Victoriano Giraldez Carrasco, was sitting.

The purpose of the monitor is to allow the fifth official to double check substitutions, bookings and red cards with Fifa media officers before the details are released.

Fifa insist the monitor is not used to check refereeing decisions but the delay between Zidane's attack and the red card has led to suspicions that this was the first time TV evidence was used to help a referee.

But Fifa spokesman Andreas Herren said: "The fourth referee saw the incident with his own eyes and told the referee and the assistant referee directly though their headsets.