An Indonesian player who punched a referee in the face has been banned for life by the country's football authority.

Pieter Rumaropen, a striker for the Papua province club Persiwa Wamena, attacked the referee, Muhaimin, after he awarded a penalty to Pelita Bandung Raya during a Super League match on Sunday in West Java's capital Bandung. Muhaimin was taken to hospital where he received four stitches.

Hinca Panjaitan, a member of the disciplinary commission of Indonesia's Football Association, PSSI, said Rumaropen's behaviour damaged the image of the country's football. In 2008, PSSI imposed life bans on four players for beating up a referee and his assistants.

"This was a terrible act that we cannot tolerate," Panjaitan said. "It has tarnished the image of Indonesian football in the international community, I hope this punishment will repair that."

Video replays of Sunday's incident showed Rumaropen running up behind Muhaimin and landing a swinging left hook on the referee. The match was held up for 15 minutes before a replacement official took over and showed Rumaropen a red card.