Football: FIFA hands Pinto suspension

Portugal's Joao Pinto has been provisionally suspended by FIFA for allegedly punching the referee following his sending-off against South Korea.

FIFA's disciplinary committee today handed out the sentence after viewing video evidence and speaking with referee Angel Sanchez.

A final decision will be made at a later date once further evidence is sought, but the future appears bleak for Pinto following the hearing.

The statement from football's world governing body read: "The evidence already in possession of FIFA - i.e. the reports submitted by the referee of the match, the match commissary and the referee inspector - indicate that Joao Pinto, when shown the red card, punched referee Angel Sanchez of Argentina in the stomach.

"The act of hitting a referee is considered to be a serious violation of the Disciplinary Code."

Pinto was dismissed for dangerous play following a high tackle on Park Ji-Sung in the 27th minute.

After the red card was shown, the Portuguese forward needed to be restrained by his team-mates to prevent the situation escalating.

The 1-0 defeat put Portugal out of the tournament.