Wild moment local soccer referee is chased off the field by an angry player – who then kicked in a door
- Sydney referee intimidated by angry footballer
- He can be seen on film kicking in the referee’s door after receiving a red card
- Later charged with assault, trial in September
An amateur footballer is due to appear in court in September after being charged with common assault in an alleged incident involving a matchday referee.
The 34-year-old man is alleged to have chased the whistleblower off the field and then attempted to kick in a door after he was earlier sent off during an All Age division three match between Harrington United and Narellan Rangers at Nott Oval in Sydney’s south-west.
Several stunned witnesses filmed the alleged shocking incident, involving the Harrington United player in question.
“At approximately 1.15pm on Sunday 25 August, officers from Camden Police Area Command responded to reports of a referee being threatened following a soccer match between two adult men’s teams at an Elyard Street sports field in Narellan,” a New South Wales Police spokesperson confirmed in a statement.
‘Officers escorted a match official from the area and dispersed a crowd that had gathered. There were no reports of injuries.
‘At approximately 10pm on Monday 26 August a 34-year-old man was charged with common assault and was given a summons to appear at Picton Local Court on Thursday 26 September.’
The man is filmed chasing the referee off the pitch after a football match in Narellan
The man then struck out at a door. He has been charged with simple assault
Macarthur Football Association chief executive Paul Bertolisio said the referee and his two assistants have now received therapy.
According to Daily Mail Australia, one of the terrified linesmen was just 14 years old and reportedly expressed fear of ever participating in the sport again.
A spokesperson for Macarthur Football said News Corp The association planned to launch a full investigation into the incident.
“Both teams have been suspended pending an investigation by our legal system,” he said.
“We are waiting for the incident reports and referee reports, and the guilty parties will be told what is due to them. We treat all incidents that come to us seriously and will deal with them promptly.
“There is no excuse for it… when we see something like this happening, we are not happy about it and we want to eradicate it.”
Harrington United chairman Ray Zammit also indicated that the club will take strict action against the alleged perpetrator.
“We’re taking it very hard,” he said. “The process is underway now and once that’s over, we’ll know how to deal with it as a club…”[and] “We will take very strong action against this.”