DR Congo star Ruth Kipoyi has angered football fans after she punched a Morocco player in the face.
The incident occurred during DR Congo’s friendly with Morocco on on Monday 3 June.
With the score poised at 2-1 in the Moroccans favour, the 26-year-old recieved a red card for an aggressive challenge.
This enraged several opposition players enough to get involved causing a melee between the two teams.
Yasmine Mrabet decided to try and calm Kipoyi down, but, the attacker who plays for Galatasaray, unleashed a left hook to her jaw which sent her to the turf.
Ruth Kipoyi landed a left hook on Morocco star Yasmine Mrabet as the mifielder tried to calm things down
The incident came just after Kipoyi had been red carded for an aggressive challenge
A video of the incident has been doing the rounds on social media, and fans are furious with Kipoyi.
Some people are calling for serious punishment, with one X (formerly Twitter) user saying: ‘Should be prison time for assault.’
Another fan did not feel as strongly, but still didn’t hide their anger: ‘Not a lifetime ban but definitely a lengthy one. Along with a hefty fine’
Morocco went on to win the match 3-2, and following the final whistle, Mrabet, the player punched by Kipoyi, released a statement via Instagram, in regard to the incident.
She said: ‘This violent behaviour should not be accepted. During competition, disagreements can occur, tensions are bound to build, but there are lines which must never be crossed…
Mrabet has released a statement in which she says that the punch has been reported
‘This incident should not overshadow the exponential growth of our football in the last couple of years. African teams are showing up on the world stage, and for a reason.
‘The appropriate procedures are underway to report the past events and from now on I’m only looking forward.’
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