Monaco winger Gelson Martins has been banned from football for six months for pushing a referee.
The 24-year-old was furious after teammate Tiemoue Bakayoko was sent off for a late tackle in a 3-1 loss to Nîmes on February 1.
Martins pushed referee Mikael Lesage twice, which saw him follow Bakayoko through the tunnel in the 32nd minute.
The Portuguese international was suspended indefinitely following the incident and the result is now achieved.
In a statement, the Professional Football League said: “Given the nature of the events, the discipline committee, on February 6, 2020, suspended the player as a precaution.
“After examining the evidence and hearing the player’s arguments, the Committee decided to sanction Gelson Martins with a six-month suspension.
“This decision takes effect on February 6, 2020.”
The ban means that Martins’ season is over, with their chances of making the Portuguese team for Euro 2020 a big hit.
Monaco “condemned” the actions of Martins, while disputing the duration of the ban.
The club declared: “AS Monaco takes note of the decision of the disciplinary committee of the LFP to sanction Gelson Martins with a suspension of six months from February 6, a very heavy sanction.
“The club once again condemns the unjustifiable behavior of its attacker, but also regrets the excessive length of this suspension, for a player who has never served a disciplinary ban in more than 200 games at the highest level.”
Meanwhile, Martins went to social media to apologize for his behavior.
He wrote: “Anyone who knows me knows that throughout my career I have respected everyone as a principle – my teammates, opponents, supporters and officials – off the field and on it, where I have never never been aggressive against anyone.
“I feel that I have to apologize for my unwarranted attitude and the product of a moment of anger.
“I especially apologize to the referee Mikael Lesage, but also to my teammates and our fans.”
See this post on Instagram
Those who know me know that throughout my career, I have always had the principle of respect for everyone: colleagues, opponents, supporters and referees, on and off the pitch. I am not aggressive, I have never been with anyone. Today, after reflection, I think I have to apologize for my thoughtless and warm-blooded attitude. I apologize in particular to the referee Mikael Lesage, but also to my colleagues and our supporters. . Quem me conhece sabe que em toda a minha carreira semper tive por princípio respeitar todos – desde os meus colegas, adversários, adeptos e árbitros – fora de campo e dentro de campo, onde nunca fui nem sou aggivo com ninguém. Sinto que devo pedir desculpa por uma atitude irrefletida e feita de cabeça quente. Peço desculpa, em special ao Sr. árbitro Mikael Lesage, mas também aos meus colegas de equipa e aos nossos adeptos.