Kanoute fined for goal message

Frederic Kanoute is a devout Muslim

Frederic Kanoute has been fined by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) for revealing a T-shirt expressing support for Palestine during a match.

The Mali striker lifted his Sevilla shirt over his head after scoring in the team's 2-1 Copa del Rey win over Deportivo La Coruna on Wednesday.

The RFEF said it had fined the forward an unspecified amount.

But reports elsewhere suggest the fine for Kanoute is somewhere in the region of US$4,000.

He displayed a black T-shirt on which the word "Palestine" was printed in several languages.

Kanoute, who was born in France but plays internationally for Mali, is a practicing Muslim.

Kanoute's action, which has been interpreted as a response to Israel's recent attacks on Gaza that have killed over700 people, was met with a yellow card from referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz.

Lahoz said in his post-match report that he'd cautioned Kanoute for raising his shirt over his head in accordance with federation rules, while also noting the message of the striker's T-shirt.