Footballer receives astonishing 50-year ban for booting the ball in the referee's face and spraying him with water

Ferreira will be able to play again when he is 78...

Ricardo Ferreira will not be able to play football again until 2064 (Getty Images)

Ricardo Ferreira, an amateur player in Switzerland, will not be able to play again until he is 78 after being handed an astonishing 50-year ban for attacking a referee after his team Portugal Futebol Clube's 1-0 defeat by SC Worb.

Swiss newspaper Blick have reported that the controversial Ferreira booted the ball at the referee's face and then sprayed him with water after the final whistle.

The fiery Ferreira had not even played in the match, and was an unused substitute. He will now be able to return to the game in 2064.

"I had expected one or two years maximum. But 50 years? Football's my life," the 28-year-old Ferreira said.

Ferriera had previously served a 45-match ban for assaulting opposition players.

The fourth-tier Swiss league's lawyer Robert Breiter said: "We do not want such a player in our league."