Bizarre scenes as jilted ex-referee turns masked pitch invader

A pitch invader wearing a Mexican wrestling mask has copped a 10-year ban following bizarre scenes in a Canberra first-grade soccer match over the weekend.

The invader ran onto the field in the second half, of the game between Cooma and Woden-Weston, with his face masked and brandished the referee with a red card.

Players then ripped off the mask and exposed the man's identity before he was taken from the field.

It is understood the man is a former referee who was staging a protest against the treatment of officials in Canberra over the past 12 months.

Capital Football - the ACT's soccer governing body - wasted no time in punishing the invader and slapped him with a 10-year ban.

It means he cannot attend soccer games at any level - from grassroots to international fixtures - and Capital Football are reportedly asking Football Federation Australia to implement the ban nationwide.