Colombia coach Hernan Dario Gomez has resigned following reports that he struck a woman in a bar.
The Colombian Football Federation said in a statement Tuesday that Gomez stepped down and ''assumed the consequences of his acts.''
The widely reported incident took place Saturday at a bar in Botoga. Gomez issued a statement on Monday to express regret, saying he lost control and lamented what happened.
''The Colombia federation wants to repeat and be emphatic that it regrets and rejects any act of violence by its employees, players or coaches,'' the body said in a statement.
Federation vice president Alvaro Gonzalez had suggested, however, that Gomez should stay and said he ''is no criminal.''
''It is two months before World Cup qualifying begins and the team cannot be without a coach,'' Gonzalez said.
The federation said it planned to meet Thursday to talk about the situation.
Gomez' assistant Leonel Alvarez is a candidate to take over. Other contenders reportedly are Reinaldo Rueda, Juan Carlos Osorio and Argentine Gerardo Martino, who just resigned as Paraguay's national team coach.
