Brazilian will appeal the verdict however.
Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo has been suspended by the French Football Federation for nine months after having been found guilty of barging into a referee last season, reports BBC Sport Online.
The former Brazil international has been in his current role with the big-spending Ligue 1 outfit since July 2011 and he was responsible for bringing Carlo Ancelotti to the Parc des Princes.
And it was the Italian who masterminded the Parisians’ first league title triumph since 1995 last season, although this incident will have slightly overshadowed that success for Leonardo.
The 43-year-old had been accused of using his shoulder to charge into referee Alexandre Castro in the Parc des Princes tunnel following the home side’s disappointing 1-1 draw with lowly Valenciennes in the league.
In particular, the former AC Milan star had been angered by the decision from the man in the middle to show PSG captain Thiago Silva a red card earlier in the game.
“In the light of the material elements submitted to the members of the disciplinary committee, Paris St-Germain considers this decision to be unjustified and extremely harsh,” said PSG in a statement.
“As a result, and in solidarity with its sporting director, Paris St-Germain will appeal this decision.”
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