Mohammadali Geraei has been suspended for throwing a water bottle on to the mat during this year's World Wrestling Championships in Belgrade ©Getty Images

The Iran Wrestling Federation says it plans to appeal after the country’s Greco-Roman wrestler Mohammadali Geraei was suspended following a bottle-throwing incident during this year’s World Championships.

Geraei threw a water bottle on to the mat in anger after his brother and reigning Olympic champion Mohammadreza Geraei suffered an 11-10 defeat in the 1/8 stage in Belgrade to Japan’s Kyotaro Sogabe.

He threw the bottle in protest at a decision by the referee as reported by the Tehran Times.

Mohammadreza Geraei went on to win 11-10 with the Japanese coaching staff claiming the incident contributed to Sogabe’s defeat in the bout in the under-67 kilograms category.

The bottle-throwing incident happened during a fight involving Mohammadali Geraei's brother Mohammadreza Geraei, reigning Olympic champion in the under-67kg category ©Getty Images
The bottle-throwing incident happened during a fight involving Mohammadali Geraei's brother Mohammadreza Geraei, reigning Olympic champion in the under-67kg category ©Getty Images

Mohammadreza Geraei then lost in the quarter-finals 10-0 to Azerbaijan’s Hasrat Jafarov, with that defeat meaning he went in to one of two bouts for bronze medals.

The Iranian went on to win this bout, overcoming Armenia’s Slavik Galstyan 10-0 and claiming bronze.

Gold in the category went to Luis Alberto Orta Sanchez of Cuba, who overcame Geraei’s conqueror in the quarter-final Jafarov 4-3.

Mohammadali Geraei, who previously won bronze medals at the World Championships in 2017, 2019 and 2021, is no stranger to controversy.

In September 2022, he was criticised after giving an interview with an Iranian publication during which he claimed that German politician and dictator Adolf Hitler was his "hero."