SPORTS

PIX: France's Aliev disqualified, protests with sit-in at ringside

August 01, 2021 11:49 IST

IMAGE: France's Mourad Aliev (blue shorts), yells at officials after being disqualified from his Olympics men's Super-Heavyweight quarter-final bout against Great Britain's Frazer Clarke, red shorts, at Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo, on Sunday. Photograph: Andrew P. Scott-USA TODAY Sports/Reuters

French super heavyweight Mourad Aliev remained seated at ringside for nearly an hour after being disqualified in his fight on Sunday, a call he furiously protested with kicks in the air and offensive gestures.

 

When the referee stopped his bout against Britain's Frazer Clarke with four seconds left in the second round, the Frenchman flew into a rage, spat out his mouth guard, kicked it, and punched at a TV camera.

IMAGE: France's Mourad Aliev refuses to leave the ring after being disqualified in his men's Super-Heavyweight quarter-final bout against Great Britain's Frazer Clarke. Photograph: Andrew P. Scott-USA TODAY Sports/Reuters

Clarke suffered cuts above his eyes in what the referee appeared to deem an intentional headbutt by Aliev.

Aliev remained sitting at ring-side for about half an hour, then departed the arena after a word with a group of suited officials, only to return about 15 minutes later.

The quarter-final match, which ended in the second round, secured at least a bronze for Clarke, who said he sympathised with the Frenchman and that he had advised him not to "ruin his reputation".

Source: REUTERS
© Copyright 2024 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.

Recommended by Rediff.com

NEXT ARTICLE

NewsBusinessMoviesSportsCricketGet AheadDiscussionLabsMyPageVideosCompany Email