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Mexican official Fernando Hernández has been slapped with a 12-match ban for kneeing a player in his private parts.
The referee lost his head during a Liga MX clash between León and Club América at the Estadio Azteca on Saturday.
León midfielder Lucas Romero was unhappy that his teammate Jaine Barreiro was booked and so got up into the referee's face to plead his case.
Hernández wasn't impressed and took the law into his own hands by lifting his knee in to the Argentine's nuts.
Romero immediately fell to the ground in extreme pain following the clash.
Only in Liga MX pic.twitter.com/mQZz5wEsuJ
— German (@PopOutGerman) April 2, 2023
Both coaches from the two sides also came to blows in the clash - with both men sent off with ripped shirts following their touchline scuffle.
Hernández then apologised after the match:
To the fans and public in general, I offer an apology, as well as to Romero, for my reaction. I would never attack him or any other player.
I am aware of this and I will abide by the decision of the Disciplinary Commission.
Despite being on the end of the challenge, Romero has called for the official to avoid punishment.
Obviously [referees] are human beings, many times they can make mistakes and those mistakes end up developing what happened, a lot of misunderstandings.
I'm not asking for anything, he told me it was unintentional. But just that they also respect us as we respect them on the pitch because they are the authority.
However, Romero's pleas have fallen on deaf ears, with Hernández being slapped with a 12-game ban.
Through a statement published on their social media feed, the FMF announced the sanction for the official.
Fernando Hernández Gómez, central referee of the match, is sanctioned by the Disciplinary Committee with a 12-game suspension for engaging in violent conduct against a player.
The 39-year-old, who has been a professional referee for 20 years, will miss the remainder of the 2023 Clausura and part of the 2023 Apertura which get underway in the summer.
The FMF also announced that Romero has been served a two-game suspension for "violating the principles of sportsmanship and Fair Play" through his actions against the match official.
