Mexican referee handed 12-game ban after kneeing player in groin

Mexican referee Fernando Hernandez will serve a 12-match suspension after kneeing a player in the groin during a Liga MX game between America and Leon.

Hernandez kneed Leon midfielder Lucas Romero as he and his team-mates surrounded the official during Sunday’s 2-2 draw, demanding a VAR review into an America equaliser.

The bad-tempered affair saw both coaches dismissed following a scuffle which left Leon boss Nicolas Larcamon with a torn shirt, while one 10-minute second-half stint featured six yellow cards.

Any referees looking to replicate Hernandez’s methods for dealing with dissenting players may have to think twice, with the league’s disciplinary committee hitting the official with a long ban.

After widely shared footage showed Hernandez kneeing Romero while issuing him with a yellow card, the Leon man described the incident as a “misunderstanding”.   

“Referees are human beings, many times they can make mistakes and those mistakes end up developing what happened, a lot of misunderstandings,” he told Mexican broadcaster TUDN.

Hernandez has since apologised to Romero and said he “would never attack him or any other player”, promising to accept the punishment handed down by the league’s disciplinary committee.