Parent ‘assaults ref in youth game’

A referee was taken to hospital over the weekend after he was assaulted by a player’s stepmother during a Spanish youth match on Saturday.

The incident occurred at the end of the game between CD Barrio de la Cruz and CD Cijuela 2008 in the Andalucian Youth Third Division.

According to EFE, the referee was shaken up by the “intense pain and fear” of the ordeal and subsequently in no fit state to compile a report after the game.

Aside from being sworn at repeatedly, the unnamed official is quoted as saying: “She hit me in the neck, grabbing and shaking it repeatedly.

The extent of the abuse he received meant he felt “dizzy” and had to be taken to a hospital specialising in traumatology.

He was then diagnosed with “neck pain, back pain, contusions and bruises on the neck” and had to wear a neck brace for three days, plus be “prescribed medication to alleviate the pain”.

However, the stepmother and player have yet to be identified by police, despite the referee filing a complaint to authorities.

Spain’s refereeing union promptly denounced the incident and accused the Andalucian Football Federation of “never” defending its officials.

La Liga - Club News