An Uzbek soccer player has been temporarily banned and a coach fired after violence marred a game between the Olympic teams of Uzbekistan and South Korea earlier this month.
Tohir Shamsitdinov was sent off in the second half of the King's Cup match in Thailand after attacking a South Korean opponent, punching and slapping him.
In a statement late on February 13, Uzbekistan's soccer federation said Shamsitdinov "has been barred from playing for the Uzbekistan national team and banned from all football related activities for one year for his violent conduct."
The Uzbek Olympic team coach, Shuhrat Maqsudov, was also sacked, the federation announced.
Shamsitdinov, along with the Uzbek coaching staff, went to the Korean hotel to apologize after the match in question.
Shamsitdinov was later sent home.
