France, 42-year disqualification after headbutting and elbowing the referee

Two similar incidents occurred in France within days and the measures were unprecedented

Punch hard. Indeed, very harsh: whoever strikes on the playing field will be repaid with a maxi-penalty. It sounds like a threat, but in France it’s already a reality: for the second time in a few days, a footballer has been (seriously) punished for violent conduct towards the referee. An idea that can be shared, aimed at discouraging the repetition of certain behaviors, but which resulted in… unprecedented measures: the players in question were disqualified for 16 and 25 years.

CAREER SHUT DOWN

On 25 November, in fact, a Bourges Foot 18 member received a 16-year disqualification after headbutting the referee. A similar (indeed, worse) treatment was reserved for Aliu Costa, a 19-year-old from US Le Blanc, who elbowed the referee after taking part in a brawl.

NOT ONLY THE DISQUALIFICATION

Costa, born in Guinea-Bissau, will have to give up his dream of becoming a professional footballer: at the end of the disqualification he will be 49 years old, definitely too many to try to get back into the game. In addition to the penalty for the player, there was a fine (from 500 euros), the defeat at the table and the penalty of five points in the standings for the team that had fielded him.

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