A Russian amateur footballer in Austria has been slapped with a 48-match ban for deliberately headbutting a rival after taking exception to being shown a second yellow card by the referee, according to reports.
The shocking scenes are said to have taken place in the Austrian ninth-tier match between FC Viktoria 62 Bregenz and Gofis Satteins 1b earlier in September, according to Kronen Zeitung.
After being shown a second yellow card in the 87th minute of his team’s 3-1 defeat for an implied headbutt against an opponent, enraged Viktoria player Rahid Arsanukaev is said to have responded to the referee, “I’ll show you what’s punishable”, before landing his head on his rival’s nose and breaking it.
Russian amateur footballer Raschid Arsanukaev has been handed a 48-game ban for headbutting an opponent and breaking his nose during the Austrian ninth-tier game between FC Viktoria 62 Bregenz and Gofis Satteins 1b. 🤯
— Noxwin (@noxwin12) September 22, 2021
(Via @BILD_Sport) pic.twitter.com/FWdQemu0da
The violent incident has reportedly been brought to the attention of the police, while Arsanukaev has been released by his club, even though his image remains on their website.
“Viktoria stands for integration, but of course we cannot tolerate such incidents,” club official Christian Gojo was quoted as saying.
Voralberg Football Association managing director Horst Elsner said they had informed other leagues to ensure they were aware of the hefty ban, so that Arsanukaev could not find a way to play until he had served his time.
“We have informed the surrounding associations about the suspension of Arsanukaev and want to prevent that he as a newly registered player can bypass the suspension and kick again somewhere,” Elsner said.