Earlier on 3 February, Saleh, 33-year-old Al-Jaish defender, was given a red card for a clumsy foul on an Al-Wathba player in a Syrian Pro League clash. He also lashed out at the official with kicks and restrained by players from both sides.

Television pictures show the player kicking a pitch-side chair over as he angrily left the game.

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The Syrian FA’s Disciplinary Committee, after reviewing the referee’s report of the 3 February match, found that ‘Al-Saleh kicked, insulted and directly spat on the referee’.

Adding more, the SFA said that Al-Saleh continued insulting the referee in the dressing room after the match.

Now, the Disciplinary Committee has not only banned Al-Saleh for life, but also proposed his dismissal from Syria’s Sports Federation Organisation. This means he would be able to play no part in any sports activities in the future, which includes coaching.

Apart from this, Al-Saleh was fined 1.5 million Syrian pounds ($597) and his Al-Jaish club fined 3 million pounds for their fans’ repeated insults to the referee.

All penalties are final and not subject to appeals the Syrian FA said.

In the 3 February match, Al-Wathba beat Al-Jaish 1-0 in the top-of-the-table clash.

With Reuters inputs.