Brazilian striker Leandro Damiao is facing a six-game suspension for pulling his own jersey inside the penalty area.

Brazil’s sports tribunal said on Thursday it had charged Damiao for attempting to dupe the referee into awarding his team a penalty kick.

Television images showed the 25-year-old holding his jersey backward while he made a run inside the area in Santos’ 3-0 loss at Criciuma in the Brazilian league on Sunday.

Leandro Damiao pulls his own shirt while attacking a free-kick in a league match for Brazil side Santos

Damiao attempted to con the referee into thinking a defender was pulling the shirt in an attempt to win a foul

When asked about the incident, Damiao denied he was looking for a penalty, saying his jersey got stuck to his skin and he was trying to get it loose.

Damiao was once involved in a long running transfer saga involving a potential move to Tottenham earlier in his career.

Spurs were interested in landing the 2012 London Olympics top scorer as late as last summer, when he was at Internacional.

But the north London outfit baulked at the Brazilian side's £18million valuation before swooping for Roberto Soldado.