Cherno More Varna defender Sasho Aleksandrov was given a six-match ban for body-checking the referee during his team's 4-0 loss at Levski Sofia in the Bulgarian Cup on Sunday.
Aleksandrov, known for his aggressive manner on the field and frequent arguments with officials, was shown a straight red card for the 74th minute incident.
Levski were 3-0 up at the time, having just been awarded a questionable penalty by referee Stefan Spasov.
"I apologise to the referee, it was not on purpose," the 26-year-old, who was also fined 2,500 levs (£1,055), said.
"I was ashamed when he fell."