An Argentine soccer player was booted from a match and sacked by his club after he violently grabbed a stray dog that had wandered onto the pitch and tried to throw it off the field.

The animal interrupted a game between Bella Vista and San Juan of the lower Tucumana league when Bella Vista forward Jose Jimenez grabbed the dog.

Jimenez seized the dog by the neck with both hands and threw it. The animal collided with a wire fence and came crashing back down to the ground.

The dog got up quickly and appeared to be unharmed as it ran away.

Fans and the opposing team however were angered, and people in the stands began hurling garbage and insults at Jimenez.

Players from the opposing San Juan side charged toward the Bella Vista bench where Jimenez had take refuge.

As the tension rose, a referee gave Jimenez a red card, expelling him from the game.

Local media reports later said Bella Vista had rescinded on Jimenez's contract following the incident.