Ricardo Ferreira won’t be eligible to play a competitive soccer game in Switzerland until June 5, 2064.
Ferreira, 28, received a 50-year ban Saturday as punishment for his astonishing attack on a referee, the BBC reports.
Ferreira, a defender for amateur team Portugal Futebol Clube, watched from the bench, as his team played against SC Worb in the Bern League (Swiss fourth division). After the game, Ferreira reportedly kicked a ball in the referee’s face and sprayed the official with water.
Ferrreira had been previously banned for 45 days for assaulting opponents. Ferreira’s punishment was much harsher for this latest offense.
“I had expected one or two years maximum,” Ferreaira said. “But 50 years? Football’s my life.”
Bern League lawyer Robert Breiter hopes the ban will end Ferreira’s participation in the Swiss League and deter others from committing similar acts.
“We do not want such a player in our league,” Breiter told Swiss newspaper Blick. “Unfortunately we encounter such cases about once a year.”
Ferreira will be 78 years young when his ban expires.
