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Cuban Athlete Ousted for Kicking Referee

09:43 H | Topics: Beijing Summer Olympics - Bizarro - Controversia - Cuba - Latin America - Sports

Taekwondo isn't a sport for the faint of heart, but the violence needs to be kept in the ring and the kicks directed at your opponent. But Cuban martial artist Ángel Matos apparently doesn't see it that way. When Matos was down for count during yesterday's finals match due to an injury, the ref called time, giving the win to opponent Arman Chilmanov of Kazakhstan. As Chilmanov celebrated jumping up and down, Matos jumped up himself and began screaming at the referee. His trainer joined in in the belaboring of the ref. Then the stadium went still as Matos delivered a huge kick to the referee's unexpecting face.

Both Matos and his trainer, Leudis González, have been banned from ever participating in the Olympics again as a result of the attack. According to Spain's El País, González insists that Kazakhstan "bought" the judges, bribing them into ruling in favor of their team.

Via / El País

Image via Reuters/El Pais

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