French referee Tony Chapron handed six-month ban for kicking Nantes player then sending him off

A REFEREE who kicked a player after he accidentally tripped him up has been banned for six months.

Tony Chapron stunned players and fans when he kicked and then sent off Nantes defender Diego Carlos during their defeat to Paris Saint-Germain last month.

The boot came in after the Brazilian accidentally clipped the referee, who then showed Carlos a second yellow card after his outrageous kick.

The French Football Federation has confirmed half of Chapron’s ban is suspended while Carlos’ ban has been rescinded.

Pascal Garibian, technical director of France’s refereeing body said: “We take note of the decision of the Disciplinary Committee of the Professional Football League.

“After he has served his suspension, Tony Chapron will again be available to the DTA (France’s refereeing body) who can designate him Ligue 1 or Ligue 2 games.”

The 45-year-old referee asked for the player’s ban to be reversed and had already announced his retirement at the end of the season.

He said: “The Nantes player, Diego Carlos, crashed into me.

“At the time of the collision, I felt a sharp pain where I had recently suffered an injury. My unfortunate reaction was to stick my leg out towards the player.”

Chapron has been in charge of more than 400 games and said he regretted his reaction.