The Argentina coach was also slapped a fine of 25,000 Swiss francs (HK$192,150).

Maradona's outburst against journalists came after Argentina's 1-0 win over Uruguay allowed the two-time world champions to squeeze narrowly into next year's finals in South Africa after a tense qualifying campaign.

The 49-year-old sporting icon who skippered the 1986 World Cup- winning team, launched his lewd tirade at journalists during his post- match press conference.

Accompanied by an Argentine football official and bodyguards on his way to the hearing, Maradona did not speak to reporters at Zurich airport or at the Fifa headquarters.

His sanction "applies from 15 November to 15 January," Fifa said, keeping him out of the World Cup draw in Cape Town on December 4.

During the disciplinary hearing, Maradona "apologized to Fifa and the world football family."

"The committee took into consideration the apologies and the sincere remorse shown by Maradona in its decision," Fifa said.

Any breach of the decision or repetition of such action would lead to tougher sanctions, the world governing body added.

Maradona was widely pilloried for the record 6-1 qualifying defeat in Bolivia and his relationship with the country's football-obsessed sports media struggled to recover. Three more defeats - to Ecuador, Brazil and Paraguay - threatened to dump Argentina out of the World Cup for the first time since 1970.

After his foul-mouthed diatribe, Maradona apologized to the world's women, but refused to say sorry to journalists.

"I apologize to women, to my mother, to Argentinian women, to Uruguayan women and to women throughout the world. But only to them, not the others," he told TyC Sports television.

Maradona had travelled to Zurich from Madrid where his team had lost 2-1 to European champions Spain in a friendly at the weekend.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE