HAVANA, Cuba: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro on Monday defended a Cuban taekwondo athlete banned for ever from the sport for kicking a referee during the Beijing Olympics.

Castro, in a column on the Internet, said Angel Valodia Matos already was “indignant” because someone tried to bribe his coach and “could not contain himself” when referee Chakir Chelbat disqualified him in a bronze-medal match he led over Kazakhstan’s Arman Chilmanov.

“Astonished by a decision that appeared totally unjust to him, he protested and kicked the referee,” Castro wrote.

Valodia, who kicked Chelbat in the face, and coach Leudis Gonzalez were banned for life. “For our taekwondo athlete and his coach, our total solidarity,” Castro said.

Chelbat of Sweden disqualified Valodia for exceeding a minute in the injury time after a blow from Chilmanov. Castro charged that judges also “shamelessly robbed” three Cuban boxers of gold medals.

“It was criminal what they did with the young people of our boxing team,” he said. “In their rage, they left Cuba without a single gold Olympic medal in that discipline,” he explained. Castro said Cuba must review its sports system to meet rising competition but also has to be prepared to face challenges at the 2012 Olympics in London.