A French football player has been banned for five years after biting an opponent’s penis so hard he needed 12 stitches, according to multiple reports.

A player with an amateur team attacked one of his opponents, who was attempting to break up a postgame fight that had started between the two teams last November.

The altercation reportedly began in the locker room and spilled over to the parking lot, Fox News reported.

Both players remain unnamed for legal reasons.

A disciplinary committee in the region, where the incident occurred, banned the biter for five years — but also banned his victim until June for his own aggressive behaviour.