Baltimore Blast coach Tim Wittman has been suspended for the next two seasons by the Major Indoor Soccer League for putting a game official in a choke hold.
Wittman was also fined an undisclosed amount following a review and investigation, MISL commissioner Steve Ryan announced Monday.
Wittman had already been suspended for the remainder of the 2005-06 season, including the playoffs.
According to newspaper reports, Wittman put penalty box official Rob Plannette in a choke hold after Baltimore lost 8-6 to the California Cougars in Stockton, Calif., on March 18. A California player broke up the altercation, and Wittman was escorted off the field by his goalkeeper.
In the slightly more rarified outdoor air of the UEFA Champions League, Villareal and Arsenal are currently tied at 0-0 in the second leg of their Semi-Final. Unless Villareal can score in the next 10 minutes or so, Arsenal will advance to the final in Paris on May 17.