An Austrian footballer has been hit with a 70-game suspension for his attack on a referee during a match. It’s believed the ban is one of the longest ever handed out in the history of the world’s most popular sport. The player named Ismail Gunduz plays for a non-professional club called SK Rum in the fifth-division of the nation’s footballing tier. Gunduz was sent of the pitch in the 86th minute of a game against SPLG Innsbruck West when he received a second yellow card. SK-Rum was ahead 3-2 at the time, but Gunduz lost the plot and then head butted the referee.

The player’s head bust the referee’s lip open and the bloody official had to be taken to a local hospital to get sewn up. The SK Rum club wasn’t too happy with their 26-year-old player and since his act of violence was indefensible they sacked him. The team was also fined a grand total of 257 euros for Gunduz’s actions. Michael Messner, the manager of SK Rum, stated that the team wanted to distance itself from the player so immediately got rid of him.

However, it appears that Gunduz watched this summer’s World Cup from Brazil as he said that he slipped and his head was then driven into the referee’s mouth. This of course is the same line of defence that Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez used when he was found guilty of biting of defender Giorgio Chiellini Italy during the World Cup. Suarez was handed a nine-game international ban and also kicked out of football for four months. The Austrian Tirol Football Association didn’t buy what Gunduz was selling in the way of an excuse though and doled out the 70-game punishment.

Horst Scherl, who is the director of discipline for the Tyrolean FA in Austria said, “The 70-match suspension is without precedent as far as we know, but it seemed proportionate to us given the gravity of the offence.” It appears that Gunduz will now have to sit out the next two seasons and then look for a new club to play for once he’s eligible to return to the league. However, things could have been a lot worse for him since the local police would have charged him for assault in many countries.

The Tirol Football Association has the power to suspend Gunduz for 78 games, but for some reason settled on 70. Gunduz said the suspension is complete madness and he’ll definitely appeal it to whoever he can.