Greek Soccer Player Banned for Nazi Salute

Giorgos Katidis says he's not a racist

(CNN) — Adopting a fascist salute to celebrate a goal in any country would border on the provocative—but to do it in a land where the scars of Germany's wartime occupation still run deep would appear to be professional suicide.

So it has proved for AEK Athens' Giorgos Katidis, whose actions after scoring the winning goal against Veria on Saturday so enraged Greek football officials that the former Under-19 captain has been barred from playing for the senior national team for life.