Under the French football federation's own rules, Barthez should have received a minimum six-month ban for running on to the pitch from the bench during an ill-tempered friendly between Marseille and Wydad Casablanca to confront international referee Abdellah El Achiri.

Video replays clearly show Barthez raising his arms toward the referee -- although no physical contact was made -- and then spitting on him.

Sports daily L'Equipe headlined "Barthez, affair of the state," claiming French Sports Minister Jean-Francois Lamour had intervened to prompt the federation to appeal the decision of its own disciplinary committee.

Lamour no doubt wanted "to avoid April 22, 2005 being labelled 'Black Friday' for our football," L'Equipe said in an editorial, adding that the disciplinary committee had been "discredited".

Critics reacted with scorn at the ban slapped on the 33-year-old goalkeeper who has won 73 caps for France and has said he will retire after the 2006 World Cup.

Bernard Saules, president of the French referees' union, said: "I'm furious. The minimum is six months and he gets away with three. It's making fools of us."

A six-month ban would have prevented Barthez from starting the 2005-2006 season with Marseille on July 30 and could have led him to bring forward his retirement date.

A three-month ban deprives Marseille of their goalkeeper as they try to pull out of a slump and hang onto the third qualifying spot in the French league for next season's Champions League.

"Deplorable, grotesque, scandalous, laughable, even if the affair isn't one of the most serious," Le Figaro said.

"From this kingdom of hypocrites where spitting on the body is less serious than spitting in the face, where an 'adapted' sanction will also spare the France team, it's no more than you expect. Without a revolution."

Liberation said "it's not refereeing that is sick, it's football", lamenting the "indulgence" shown to the "idol" Barthez.

The paper decried "stars paid like princes ... and around them a little world of profiteers and swindlers, or licensed crooks."

It also denounced "those louts who chant racists insults and throw bottles ... and those leaders who close their eyes and encourage sporting rebelliousness."

"They have spat on justice," blasted France Soir. "Half-hearted like a two-tier justice."

Le Parisien/Aujourd'hui en France described the disciplinary committee's decision as a "memorable blunder that will go down in the annals of French football.

"It's very clear: if there's spit, and there was spit, Barthez could not get any less than six months," the paper said.

As French federation disciplinary committee chairman Jean Mazzella said Friday: "He didn't spit in his face but he certainly did spit at the official."

Barthez, who faces an additional three-month ban for any further offences, will be allowed to play for Marseille against Nantes this weekend.

France can also pick their first-choice goalkeeper when the 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign resumes in September with key away matches in Ireland and Switzerland.

He could also be called up for a friendly with Argentina in Paris on August 17.

France next play the Faroe Islands on September 3 before travelling to Ireland on September 7 and Switzerland on October 8.

The 1998 World and Euro 2000 champions are going through difficult times after drawing four of their opening six qualifiers.

Having won their other two games, against Cyprus and the Faroes, France top Group 4 on equal points with Israel, but Switzerland and Ireland are a point behind with a game in hand.