A player has been banned after slide tackling an opponent during a walking football match and then telling the referee to "**** off".

The Kent FA imposed a 133-day suspension from all football related activity to Andy Aibangbee after he was found guilty of improper conduct towards the referee - actions that were described as embarrassing by others playing in the game.

An FA disciplinary commission looked into the case after referee Stuart Short claimed he had been verbally abused “in an aggressive manner” and that he was later confronted by the same player in the dressing room. This all occurred during a walking football match between two sides from Bexley Walking Football Club.

Following the incident the club suspended the player and there were several submissions from those taking part that backed up the referee’s version of events.

One of the players - also a committee member - said Mr Aibangbee’s behaviour was “an embarrassment to those on the pitch and to the club” after saying the player had “consistently questioned the referee.”

Mr Short sent Mr Aibangbee from the field after a series of incidents.

In his statement to the commission, the referee said a number of players were unaware of some of the rules.

Walking football is a relatively new sport, generally played by the older generation. It’s a non-contact version of football with no running allowed and no tackles that involve contact.

Mr Aibangbee was issued with a blue card after making a slide tackle and sin-binned for a two minute period. When back on the pitch the player was then penalised for taking more than the one step allowed for a penalty and the goal was disallowed. The player was said to have vehemently challenged that decision.

Shortly afterwards the referee felt that Mr Aibangbee was then mimicking his run-up - he had been penalised for a 'shimmy' during the penalty take - which the official took as dissent and Mr Short challenged him about this.

The referee, who sent the player off, was sworn at, according to the commission’s report, which said: “A conversation followed which finally resulted in Mr Aibangbee telling the referee to ‘**** off’ and standing in front of the official in an aggressive manner saying ‘you are a ******g disgrace’."

A report from a fellow player said he was embarrassed by the conduct and the Bexley chair Mr Dave Burke added that “Mr Aibangbee’s aggression shown to the match official was unacceptable.”

The referee further alleged that the player entered the changing room where he was sitting alone and asked “can I talk to you ref?” to which Mr Short replied “no.” The match official claimed he was sworn at again and then later, while at the bar, was approached by the player who “tapped him on the waist and said ‘hope you have a safe journey home’ which was taken as sarcastic and an attempt to intimidate the official."

All but one of the witnesses attended the hearing but the commission noted that “Mr Aibangbee, without prior notification, did not attend and all witnesses were discharged.” The Commission dealt with the case as a correspondence hearing only.

Mr Aibangbee emailed the Kent FA with his own version of events.

The report stated that “prior to the game he (Mr Aibangbee) asked the referee if he could ‘take a knee’ and this was refused. Mr Aibangbee stated that after the disallowed penalty he was practicing the one-step penalty and the referee wrongly saw this as dissent and he admitted calling the referee ‘a ******* disgrace’ as he had perceived that he had been threatened.

“Mr Aibangbee concluded his email by reporting that the account of an incident in the changing room was a fabrication in that he did go to get changed but no words were exchanged and as he later left the bar he had said good luck to the match official to show that there were no hard feelings.”

The FA found the player guilty of the discipline charge on a balance of probability.

The commission were of the belief that the player entered the changing rooms after the game and acted in a threatening manner, further abusing the official.

They also believed that the referee’s evidence gave credibility to the verbal abuse during the game and that the player had to be physically taken from the field of play when he was sent off. Members of the club corroborated that evidence.

Along with the ban, the player was fined £50 and ordered to complete an online education course. The club’s decision to suspend the player immediately, without intervention by the Kent FA, was looked at favourably and the club were not awarded any penalty points.

There is a right of appeal.