Two Players Handed Lifetime Bans After Horror Challenges As Statement Issued

Two footballers have been banned for LIFE after committing a horror tackle on opponents in games.

Typically tackles worthy of a red card which are considered to be violent conduct carry a three-match ban but in Indonesia, a decision was made to ban two players from all football-related activities in quick succession.

Earlier this week in the Liga 4 Piala Gubernur Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta, Universitas Ahmad Dahlan (UAD) FC squared off against Kampungqu Football Indonesia (KAFI).

On Tuesday, KAFI picked up a 1-0 victory but in the 78th minute of the game there was a kung-fu kick incident which saw UAD Amirul Mutaqin kicked in the head in sickening scenes.

Mutaqin had got to the loose ball quicker than opponent Dwi Pilihanto Nugroho, who tried to clear it but horribly mistimed his action and struck Mutaqin in the head.

In a feisty game where two players were sent off, Dwi was only shown a yellow card by the referee, while after being forced off - Mutaqin had to have an X-ray at the hospital and experienced significant pain in his jaw.

Though serious injury was avoided, he is to undergo further examination in the form of a CT scan.

After the incident, the player continued to suffer pain in his left jaw until the match ended," UAD wrote on Instagram.

"After a medical examination was carried out in the evening (January 6, 2026) after the match at the Yogyakarta City Regional General Hospital, the results of the X-ray examination received this afternoon showed good results, that there were no broken/cracked joints/jaw bones in player Amirul Muttaqin."

"However, the player is still experiencing pain in his jaw when opening his mouth (speaking or chewing food). The player's condition will be monitored for the next 6-7 days. If there is no improvement in his health during this observation period, further examination will be carried out using a CT scan."

After reports from officials, the Discipline Committee for the competition reviewed the incident and decided that Dwi was guilty of violating multiple articles in 2025 PSSI Disciplinary Code.

In a press conference, Wendy Umar Seno Aji, a member of the committee, said: "One of the KAFI players committed a serious foul play or a serious violation which resulted in one of the UAD FC players suffering an injury to the jaw."

Despite an apology to the player and the club, as per Kompas, Dwi was banned from any type of involvement in the football association of Indonesia. He was also fined and sacked by KAFI, who "accepted" the decision made in a statement published on the club's Instagram.

The club's general chairman said they will "will always uphold fair play and will not tolerate actions that violate the values ​​of sportsmanship" and added that they "hope this incident will be the last and will not be repeated in the future".

Second lifetime ban issued days apart in Indonesia

Dwi was not the only player to be banned for life in Indonesia in the same period. Just a day apart, during a East Java Liga 4 match, Muhammad Hilmi Gimnastiar of PS Putra Jaya Pasuruan kicked Firman Nugraha Adhiansyah in the chest in brutal fashion.

Unlike Dwi, he was immediately shown a red card for the foul but he too had the strictest sanction imposed. The Disciplinary Committee banned him from all football-related activities and fined him the equivalent of around £110.

PS Putra Jaya also cut ties with the player, who is the second to find himself suspended following a careless tackle.