Soccer-Veracruz owner banned for attack on referees boss

MEXICO CITY, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Fidel Kuri, the owner of Mexican first division club Veracruz, has been suspended for one year for attacking referees chief Edgardo Codesal, the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) said. Kuri attacked Codesal, head of the FMF referees' commission, verbally and physically in the VIP box at his team's 3-1 home defeat by Leon last weekend after referee Erick Yair Miranda sent off Veracruz's Argentine winger Daniel Villalva in the 90th minute. "After carrying out an investigation and hearing the parties involved, it has been decided to sanction Fidel Kuri Grajales with a year's suspension from all football-related activities," the FMF said in a statement on Friday. The ban prevents Kuri from involvement in FMF business, signing documents for his club, going onto the pitch, into the changing rooms, medical and doping control areas and media and VIP boxes at Veracruz's away matches. "The punishment is there and I just have to face it and accept it like the man I am," Kuri was quoted as saying by Record (www.record.co.mx). Veracruz, who are away to Chiapas on Saturday, have one point from their first two matches in the Clausura championship. The FMF also fined Veracruz 146,080 Mexican pesos ($7,921.91). ($1 = 18.4400 Mexican pesos) (Reporting by Carlos Calvo; Writing by Rex Gowar. Editing by Patrick Johnston)