Indonesian player faces sanctions for sucker punching ref

Indonesian soccer player Pieter Rumaropen could face heavy punishment after punching a referee in the face during a Super League match at the weekend, an official from the country’s top flight competition said on Tuesday.

Rumaropen’s Persiwa Wamena were tied 1-1 with Pelita Bandung Raya on Sunday when referee Muhaimin awarded a penalty to Pelita with eight minutes left on the clock.

Video replays of the incident showed Rumaropen running up behind Muhaimin and landing a swinging left hook on the referee, who had to be admitted to a hospital due to excessive bleeding from his nose, the league’s communications manager Azwan Karim said.

The match was held up for 15 minutes before a replacement official took over and gave Rumaropen a red card.

“The case has been forwarded to the disciplinary committee,” Karim said. “There will be an extra penalty as well as the red card.”

Persiwa, currently seventh in the 18-team league, lost 2-1 after their opponents converted the penalty.