Football referee handed six-month ban for kicking player; Watch his 'moment of madness'

Referee Tony Chapron was handed a six-month ban, three of them suspended, for kicking out at Nantes player Diego Carlos in a Ligue 1 game against Paris St Germain last month, the French League said on Thursday.

During stoppage-time, Chapron bumped into Carlos and fell over with TV footage showing him swinging his leg towards the running defender's shins. The League's disciplinary commission handed down the sanction after hearing Chapron's evidence on Thursday.

A few seconds after the incident, Chapron showed Carlos a yellow card, which resulted in the player being sent off as he had also been booked in the first half. 

Chapron apologised the next day, saying Carlos had bumped into him but that his own reaction had been “clumsy” and “inappropriate”.

The French Football Federation (FFF) suspended Chapron “until further notice” and the league’s disciplinary commission met Thursday in Paris with Chapron attending the two-hour proceedings with his lawyer.

“The meeting took place in a calm atmosphere which was in contrast to the media lynching (around the affair),” said Samuel Chevret, the referee’s lawyer.

At the time of the affair, the FFF said in a statement that Chapron had reviewed video footage of the incident and “noted that his fall had been caused accidentally”.

Chapron apologised, saying in a statement to AFP: “The Nantes player, Diego Carlos, crashed into me. At the time of the collision, I felt a sharp pain where I had recently suffered an injury. My unfortunate reaction was to stick my leg out towards the player.”

Several weeks before the incident, Chapron had announced that he planned to retire from refereeing at the end of the season.

He has been refereeing in France’s top flight since 2004 and has taken charge of more than 400 matches, including the French Cup final in 2014. In October, he refereed a game in the Chinese Super League.

Before Thursday’s hearing FFF president Noel Le Graet said: “He’s someone who has done a beautiful job. He has made a small mistake, that he clearly recognises. Killing him at this point achieves nothing. He’s someone who deserves respect.”

Here how it happened: