More Tales of Referee Assault

This would never have happened to Pierluigi.

Referees will always be maligned for their perceived incompetence/bias, etc. Sometimes, they will be assaulted.

In a continuing semi-regular series here on UF, we present the latest incidents of violence against referees. Although we’ve all been tempted to give the match officials a talking-to (or a bit more) after a terrible call, these fellows actually went through with it.

At the amateur level, Tourrette-Levens faced off against Montet Bornala in the U17 Pré-Excellence division of French football. 20 year-old referee Anis Gaaloul had to provide several warnings to the visiting Montet side for their constant complaining regarding every foul called against them, but he had hoped that their 3-1 lead at half-time would calm things down.

That proved not to be the case, as shortly after the restart he issued 2 RCs (within moments of one another) to Montet, the first for an incredibly poor challenge and the second for offensive language aimed in his direction. With a 2-man advantage, Tourrette were able to come back and win the match 4-3, infuriating the Montet club. Things got so out of hand that was Gaaloul was attacked by his assistant referee. [French link]

Wait, what?

It turns out that one of the Montet coaches had stepped in to act as an AR for the match, but when the final whistle blew he was so incensed by the result that he grabbed the corner flag and assaulted the centre official with it. Luckily, nearly everyone else was distracted by the players fighting on the pitch. Unluckily, the assault was serious enough to warrant a trip to the emergency room, meaning that charges are now being pressed.

The Montet coach, however, may have gotten a decent bargain if all that he faces is an assault charge. FC Krasnodar striker Spartak Gogniyev (wait, this guy’s first name is the same as the “sporting society”?) was fined 50,000 roubles (£1,000) for pushing a referee during a match against Chechnyan club Terek. That wasn’t his only punishment, as Spartak was himself the victim of an assault as he walked down the tunnel after his dismissal.

It seems that a number of individuals were unhappy with the striker striking the referee, and in turn they broke Gogniyev’s ribs and nose. Several of those who participated were wearing security apparel, while two of the assailants were employees (a reserve coach and a team administrator) of Terek. The club have been fined 500,000 roubles (£10,000) for failing to provide adequate security (a fair charge, considering that their security officers took part in the attack), and the two employees have been fined the same amount and given a 12-month ban. For his part, in addition to the physical abuse he took, poor Spartak Gogniyev was handed a 6-match ban for his assault on the referee.

Insult to injury.