UEFA have decided that French referee Remi Harrel, who took charge of Leicester's controversial clash with Atletico Madrid, will not officiate in any more matches in the competition this season.
Harrel angered Leicester manager Martin O'Neill when he turned down three clear-looking penalty appeals and sent off midfielder Garry Parker for taking a free-kick too quickly in the UEFA Cup first round second-leg clash at Filbert Street on September 30th.
It prompted O'Neill to say afterwards: "I thought it was a match we could not win," as Madrid went on to secure a 2-0 victory and knock Leicester out of the competition 4-1 on aggregate.
O'Neill launched a stinging attack on Harrel but the Foxes manager escaped disciplinary action by UEFA after being asked to explain his comments.
Leicester chairman Tom Smeaton said yesterday: "I am pleased that UEFA have taken our views of what happened seriously and looked into the referee's performance.
"I don't want to say anything else until I've seen UEFA's report but it doesn't really help us because there is no way we can get the match back. We are out of the competition."
Leicester midfielder Neil Lennon said yesterday: "This shows what a bad game the referee had if UEFA are prepared to take him off the list. It still rankles with us but I am pleased that action has been seen to be taken."
