An AFL amateur league match in Krasnodar ended early when a Tlyustenkhabl player reacted emotionally to receiving a yellow card and hit the referee, knocking him out with a blow to the head. At the same time, the team of the nervous player had an advantage over the enemy: Tlyustenkhabl won against Izumrud with a score of 1:0, but after the antics of the 33-year-old football player, the team was awarded an early defeat.
The judge filed a personal injury report with the police. Later it became known that the victim would continue to work at matches and did not suffer any serious harm to his health. The football player who attacked the referee was banned from participating in games in Adygea and the Krasnodar Territory. The athlete’s case was sent for consideration to the Russian Department of Grassroots Football — the player may be banned from participating in competitions in other regions.
Can a team be suspended?
The opposing team called the situation “as ugly as possible”, but expressed hope that the punishment would affect only one player. “As for the removal of the entire team, we hope that this will not happen, since the teammates tried their best to calm the culprit.”,” representatives of Izumrud wrote on social networks.
The issue of Tlyustenkhabl’s disqualification will be considered by the league’s control and disciplinary committee. On November 1, experts will announce their decision.
Can a criminal case be opened?
Technically, yes, it all depends on the severity of the beating. And it doesn’t matter where the incident occurred — on a football field, a hockey rink or in the yard. For example, in 2020, Roman Shirokov got into a similar situation, beating a referee — and also as part of an amateur match. The former midfielder of Zenit, Spartak and the Russian national team attacked the judge with the words “If you show me the red one, I’ll give it to you.” As a result, Shirokov broke the referee’s eyebrow and left him with abrasions. A criminal case is threatened if the victim loses his or her ability to work for a period of time or becomes disabled.
The rules of football are quite strict: you can sit on the bench for life even for making an offensive gesture. During the 1994 World Cup, German footballer Stefan Effenberg responded to fans’ insults by raising his middle finger to the stands. The player was permanently excluded from the German national team, but the indecent gesture was named after him. Read more about the “dirtiest” acts in the history of football in our material.