Vienna: An Austrian footballer has been handed a record 70-match ban for headbutting a referee during a fifth division match, the Tyrolean Football Federation confirmed on Thursday.

"The 70-match suspension is without precedent to our knowledge but it seems proportional given the gravity of the offence," said federation spokesman Horst Scherl. The incident occurred last Saturday during a match between SK Rum and SPG Innsbruck West in the Tyrol region of western Austria.