FIFA said today it had suspended Portuguese player Joao Pinto while it decides a punishment for punching the referee during a World Cup match against South Korea last week.
A FIFA statement released after a special disciplinary committee meeting said there was strong evidence to show that Pinto had struck Argentinian referee Angel Sanchez in a melee after being shown a red card.
Portugal lost the Group D match 1-0 and crashed out of the tournament at the end of the first-round phase.
Pinto "has been provisionally suspended for all match activity until such time when the FIFA disciplinary committee will take a final decision in the matter," said the statement.
"Given the serious nature of the offence of which the player is accused and in order to take a decision in full cognizance of all facts, the disciplinary committee has already requested additional information."
The disciplinary committee continued: "The reports submitted by the referee of the match, the match commissary and the referee inspector indicate that Joao Pinto, when shown the red card, punched referee Angel Sanchez of Argentina in the stomach.
"The act of hitting a referee is considered to be a serious violation of the disciplinary code."
AFP