Player banned for shoving whistle down ref's throat
ROME (AFP) – An amateur footballer in Italy has been given a 20-month ban for trying to force a whistle down a referee's throat after he was sent off. Andrea Biondi was dismissed by the referee in his Florence-based team Albereta 72's 2-2 draw at Sancat. After being sent off for insulting the referee he grabbed the back of his head and tried to push the whistle into his mouth, the Ansa news agency reported. Biondi continued to insult and threaten the referee as he left the field, the agency added.
