Roberto Carlos has appealed against the provisional ban imposed on him by FIFA following a pushing incident involving the referee in Brazil's recent friendly against Portugal.
The Real Madrid left-back was sent off after pushing referee Alon Yefet during the match in Porto on March 28th, and risks being banned from all football should FIFA judge the incident sufficiently serious to merit a suspension.
For now, he is only barred from playing for Brazil, but a ban from club football would be a hammer blow to the player widely regarded as the world's best left-sided defender, particularly given Madrid are chasing the Primera Liga and Champions League titles.
"The CBF and the athlete have appealed the decision made by FIFA's disciplinary commission to suspend the athlete," said an official statement by the Brazilian Football Federation.