Angel Valodia Matos, a Cuban taekwondo athlete, has been hit with a lifetime ban after kicking referee Chakir Chelbat of Sweden in the face.

Matos, who won a gold medal at the 2000 Sydney games, was disqualified for taking too much time on the mat for a leg injury in a bronze medal match against Kazakhstan’s Arman Cilmanav.  Fighters are allowed one minute to receive medical attention, and Matos’ time ran out.

The angry Cuban fighter questioned the decision, pushed a judge, pushed and kicked the ref, then spat on the floor before being escorted out.

Cuban coach Leudis Gonzalas, who offered no apologies for the fighter’s actions, also received a lifetime ban.  He alleged the match was fixed and accused Kazakhstan of offering him money.

“He was too strict,” Gonzalez said of the decision to disqualify Matos.

The WTF issued an official statement saying, “This is a strong violation of the spirit of taekwondo and the Olympic Games. The sanctions are the following and are effective immediately: Lifetime ban of the coach and athlete in all championships sanctioned by the [World Taekwondo Federation] and at the same time, all records of this athlete at the Beijing Games will immediately be erased.”

More photos and a video of the incident below.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DtzeycIYf4[/youtube]

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