West Ham striker Paolo di Canio has won FIFA's Fair Play Award for 2001.
The Italian, who was once banned for shoving a referee to the ground, has been given the award for "a special act of good sportsmanship" in West Ham's game at Everton on December 16th last season.
Everton goalkeeper Paul Gerrard was lying injured in the penalty area when di Canio received a cross from Trevor Sinclair.
Faced with an empty net, di Canio chose to catch the ball rather than score. A goal then would probably have given the Londoners a 2-1 win.
It was an unprecedented act of good sportsmanship by di Canio.
But his career has been blighted by controversy and in late 1998 he was banned for eight games after pushing referee Paul Alcock to the ground following a red card while playing for Sheffield Wednesday.
In January 1999 he joined West Ham and since then his career has undergone something of a renaissance.
PA