Frequent arrests, rumours of fights with police, and seven red cards in two years at Sevilla: Gary Medel is certainly no stranger to controversy.
Inter Milan enforcer Gary Medel is facing a long ban from international football after insulting a referee, Football Italia report.
The experienced Chilean was shown a red card for ‘foul and abusive language’ late on in his country’s 2-1 World Cup qualifying defeat to Paraguay earlier this month.
According to Football Italia, Medel shouted “Argentinos, sons of a thousand whores” at referee Nestor Pitana, who hails from Argentina, meaning it could be some time before he dons the red of Chile again.
Under FIFA legislation, a player can be banned for up to four games for ‘unsportsmanlike conduct toward a match official’.
Therefore, Medel is at risk of missing crucial World Cup qualifiers against Colombia and Uruguay in November.
This is far from the first time the former Cardiff City midfielder has courted controversy in his storied career.
According to the Daily Mail, Medel has been arrested for drink driving, making death threats and shoving a female journalist.
There were also reports that he was shot by a police Taser after being sent off at the Under-20 World Cup in 2007.
After crashing his car a few years ago, a joke circulated on Twitter that Medel had died but the grim reaper had been too afraid to tell him, the Mail add.
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