Issa Alekasir has been banned for six months for a discriminatory gesture by the AFC ©Twitter/@Iran_tactical

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Disciplinary and Ethics Committee has banned Iranian footballer Issa Alekasir for six months after the striker was deemed to have made a racist gesture during a club match last week.

Alekasir made a slant-eyed gesture when celebrating his goal for Iranian giants Persepolis against Uzbekistan team Pakhtakor on September 30.

The contest was an AFC Champions League (West) match in Doha.

Many Uzbeks and people of other ethnicities in Uzbekistan have an epicanthic fold in their eye, similar to that of Chinese, Korean and Japanese people.

A common derogatory remark towards these groups is pulling the side of the eyelids back, as a caricature of Asian people.

It is regarded as a racist gesture in many societies worldwide.

Alekasir was given the ban after he was found to have violated Article 58.1 of the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Code and was also fined $10,000 (£7,700/€8,500).

"Article 58.1 states that anyone who offends the dignity of a person or group of a persons through contemptuous, discriminatory or denigratory words or actions concerning race, skin colour, gender, disability, language, age, physical appearance, political opinion, wealth, birth or any other status, sexual orientation, or ethnic, national or social origin has committed an offence," the AFC said.

Persepolis will now be without their star man for the AFC Champions League Final, where they will play the winner of the eastern half of the draw on December 19.

Alekasir has pleaded his innocence, claiming he has made the same gesture in the Iranian domestic league and that it was not a direct antagonistic move.

He will be allowed to play in the domestic league which cleared him after he stated to officials that the gesture was a tribute to his nephew.