It’s one of the craziest gestures of the start of the season, and the most inexplicable too. A Mexican referee has been suspended for twelve matches for kneeing an Argentinian player in a match marred by several incidents, the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) said on Tuesday.
Referee Fernando Hernandez Gomez is sanctioned “for violent behavior against a player”, said the disciplinary committee after the incidents last Saturday during the meeting America-Leon counting for the 14th day of the closing tournament of the Mexican League.
In the 64th minute, the referee showed a yellow card against a defender of Leon, and kneed in the crotch to his Argentinian partner Lucas Romero who protested against the warning.
The player was also suspended for two matches for protesting too strongly after Colombian Stiven Barreiro was shown the yellow card.
The Argentinian coaches of both teams, Fernando Ortiz of América and Nicolás Larcamón of León, were also suspended for two matches for “violent conduct”.
They were sent off after clashing during the match, which ended 2-2 at the Azteca stadium in Mexico City. Leon’s coach even had his t-shirt torn.