The president of Bolivia was recovering Tuesday from a “friendly” weekend soccer game that saw him suffer a hard kick on the leg from his main political rival, only to turn around and knee his foe in the groin. I always said politics was below-the-belt.

You can check the lowlights here:

Soccer-mad President Evo Morales was leading his MAS party against the rival MSM party in a game in the capital La Paz this past weekend when the president got fouled by opposition leader Daniel Gustavo Cartegena. Apparently a tactical error by Cartegena.

“I passed the ball and, suddenly, I got hit, and not for the first time,” Morales said, pointing out his injury to photographers after the match which ended 4-4 and with Cartagena sent off. Morales said he was left with a “bruise on the inside of the right leg” and would be forced to undergo a course of “anti-inflammatories, painkillers and rest.”

But like a true pro, Morales gave as good as he got, according to footage of the game that aired on local TV. Right after he got fouled, the president immediately retaliated with a knee to Cartegena’s groin, which sent the rival crumpling to the ground, the television station showed.

According to the Bolivian Government, Morales will require “three or four days of rest.”