A REFEREE has been given a 12-match ban as punishment for kneeing a player in his private parts.<br /><br />Liga MX referee Fernando Hernandez lost his head as the thrust his knee into Leon star Lucas Romero's groin.<br /><br />The incident occurred during a match between Leon and Club America.<br /><br />Romero took issue with a yellow card dished out by Hernandez.<br /><br />The Leon midfielder was unhappy that his team-mate Jaine Barreiro was booked and so got up into the referee’s face to plead his case.<br /><br />Hernandez wasn't impressed and took the law into his own hands by lifting his knee in to the Argentine’s nuts.<br /><br />Romero immediately fell to the ground in extreme pain following the clash.<br /><br />The incident caused a mass brawl between players and staff of both clubs, with six yellow cards dished out in the space of 10 minutes.<br /><br />Both managers from the two sides were also sent off as a result of the altercation.<br /><br />The league’s disciplinary body reviewed the incident and decided to ban the referee for 12 games as a result.<br /><br />They released a statement that read: “Fernando Hernandez Gomez, center referee of the match, is sanctioned by the Disciplinary Committee with a 12-game suspension for engaging in violent conduct against a player.”<br /><br />The match ended in a 2-2 draw as both sides were fighting for a CONCACAF Champions League qualification place.....
