Posted on 08/23/2008 5:56:48 PM PDT by Publius804
Cuban athlete banned for life after kicking taekwondo referee
BEIJING (AP) -- A Cuban taekwondo athlete and his coach were banned for life after Angel Matos kicked the referee in the face following his bronze-medal match disqualification.
Cuban coach Leudis Gonzalez offered no apology for Matos' actions during the men's over-80 kg (176 pounds) match.
Matos was winning 3-2, with 1:02 in the second round, when he fell to the mat after being hit by his opponent, Kazakhstan's Arman Chilmanov. He was sitting there, awaiting medical attention, when he was disqualified for taking too much injury time. Fighters get one minute, and Matos was disqualified when his time ran out.
Matos angrily questioned the call, pushed a judge, then pushed and kicked referee Chakir Chelbat of Sweden. Matos then spat on the floor and was escorted out.
"He was too strict," Gonzalez said, referring to the decision to disqualify Matos. Afterward, he charged the match was fixed, accusing the Kazakhs of offering him money.
(Excerpt) Read more at sportsillustrated.cnn.com ...
He’s sitting on the floor waiting for “medical treatment”, then he jumps up and pushes and kicks the referee? Sounds like he took a dive.
After some words, Cuban Dude gives Ref a boot to the head. Same foot that he injured. Go figure.
Nahhhh, Nahhhh!
Mark
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