It gets hot in Lebanon, which can make tempers flare from time to time.
A referee in charge of a Lebanese soccer game came under attack recently after a player he sent off didn’t take the decision too kindly.
The official in charge of a game between Al-Nahda and Salam Zgharta showed one Al-Nahda player a yellow card. That player said something back to him, which earned him a second yellow card.
The referee didn’t even have time to hold up the red card before the player began chasing him and throwing punches. The wily old fox managed to escape the first attacker, but someone from Al-Nahda came after him shortly thereafter. It was only the second attacker’s inability to run and hold onto a water bottle at the same time that spared the referee from the Al-Nahda staffer’s wrath.
The player who was originally sent off started chasing the referee again and managed to land a blow. It was only after the referee slipped and fell that someone came to his aid and a gun-toting security person stepped in and ended the melee.
Thus concludes the latest instance of referees’ decisions being met with violence. One day it will come to an end, we hope.
Watch “when players attack referees” in the video below.
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