Soccer-Coach Zubeldia to keep LDU job despite three-month ban

QUITO, Dec 18 (Reuters) - Hot-headed Argentine Luis Zubeldia is set to continue as coach of Ecuador's LDU Quito next year despite a three-month ban for attacking a referee, club president Carlos Arroyo said. "There is practically an agreement (but) he will have to show self control in future for his own good and that of the club," Ecuadorean media quoted Arroyo as saying on Thursday. Zubeldia, who has coached Lanus and Racing Club in his home country, attacked Roddy Zambrano during a Nov. 30 league match when the referee awarded rivals Independiente del Valle a penalty. The Argentine was originally suspended for six months but the Ecuadorean Football Federation reduced the ban to three on appeal at a hearing on Tuesday. Zambrano, who said in his match report Zubeldia had hit his forearm, complained about the reduction saying: "it's a joke When this sort of thing happens in a (amateur) barrio game players are banned for a calendar year." The ban ends on March 3, meaning Zubeldia will not be able to sit on the bench during his team's matches in the first month of the championship. Zubeldia is out of contract at the end of the year but has agreed to stay on and a new deal will be signed in January, Arroyo said. Wednesday's first leg of the league championship final between Barcelona SC and Emelec was a 1-1 draw. Emelec host the second leg on Sunday between the arch-rivals in the port city of Guayaquil whose derby is known as the "Shipyard clasico". (Writing by Rex Gowar in London; editing by Justin Palmer)