ATHENS (EJP)---Greek football player, Giorgos Katidis, has been banned from his national team for life after giving a Nazi salute while celebrating a goal.

In a statement, Greece's football federation said the AEK Athens midfielder's gesture was "a deep insult to all victims of Nazi brutality."

The 20-year-old Katidis gave a Nazi salute after scoring the go-ahead goal on Saturday in AEK's 2-1 victory over Veria in the Greek league.

He denied he gave a Nazi salute. "I am not a fascist and would not have done it if I had known what it meant," he  said, stressing that  he was simply pointing at a team mate in the stands.

In 1996, Australian goalkeeper Mark Bosnich was fined 1,000 pounds and censured by England's Football Association when he made a similar gesture during a match at Tottenham Hotspur, a club with a strong Jewish following.