Zinedine Zidane has been suspended from coaching for three months as a consequence of not having the required level 3 qualification demanded by Spanish authorities.
The former World Footballer of the year served as Carlo Ancelotti’s deputy with the Real Madrid first team in 2013 before taking charge of the Castilla B team, although his assistant Santiago Sanchez was named as Head Coach.
Following an official complaint lodged by the country’s federation, second division judge Francisco Rubio has decided to ban Zidane and Sanchez from coaching for three months.
The former Madrid star currently carries a UEFA A Licence, equivalent to a Level 2 qualification. He escaped a six-month ban but must now obtain the 3rd level of his French coaching qualifications by April 2015. The 42-year-old had previously complained at the treatment he has received over the matter.
He told Le Figaro: ‘I have no regrets about having taken my qualifications in France. It’s still amazing that there are also so few people to defend me and explain that I did not have special privilege.
‘I did not circumvent the difficulty – but some took the opportunity to spit on me.’