Colombian club owner banned for one year for punching referee

The owner of Colombian top flight club Boyaca Chico has been banned for one year for punching a referee after disagreeing with the official's decisions during a game.

Eduardo Pimentel, who doubles as the club's assistant coach, was also fined 34,472,700 Colombian pesos ($11,847) following the incident in Sunday's 1-1 draw with South American champions Atletico Nacional, the league's disciplinary committee said.

Pimentel, who co-founded the club in 2002 and has a history of confronting referees, will not be allowed to enter any football stadium during the ban.A

The disciplinary committee quoted referee Luis Sanchez as saying in his report that Pimentel "grabbed near my neck and then, with his fists, punched me in the stomach."

"This situation was confirmed by the members of the committee when they observed the official video of the match," added the disciplinary committee in its statement.

It said that before the attack Pimentel, a former midfielder who played for Colombia at the 1991 Copa America, had been sent off for "vehemently" protesting against the referee's decisions, and using "offensive and rude" language.

Pimentel blamed "continued refereeing mistakes" on the incident and said that the referee had awarded Atletico "non-existent fouls" in the run-up to the incident, the statement said.