Police in Dilsen-Stokkem (Limburg Province) have launched an investigation into an incident following the football match between Stokkem VV and Lommel SK in the First Provincial Division. Shortly after the final whistle on Friday evening, a serious altercation broke out between the male referee and a female player from Stokkem. The man struck the woman in the face several times. A club official intervened and suffered a broken shin.
Ref punches female player in the face several times, club official suffers a fractured shin
Colin Clapson
Published:
Updated:
After the final whistle of a football match between women’s clubs Stokkem VV and SK Lommel in the First Provincial Division on Friday evening, the situation escalated. A male referee struck a Stokkem player several times in the face.
With the final score at 13-2, a Stokkem player applauded, but the referee apparently felt targeted. He asked if the applause was intended for him, whereupon he gave the player a second yellow card.
Unprecedented
‘Then the ref came right up in my face. I pushed him away because he was invading my personal space. Then he lashed out twice, hitting me on the left side of my head, amongst other places. I even fainted for a moment,’ says player Wendy Mees.
According to the Stokkem VV coach, the situation escalated after the final whistle. ‘This is unprecedented. In the past, I’ve seen referees needing protection from spectators, but I’ve never seen a referee hitting players,’ says coach Roel Ramaekers.
Several people tried to pull the referee away from the player. One of the three was the club’s integrity officer, Brent Beckers, who suffered a broken shinbone in the commotion.
Assault and battery probe
The local Maasland police service has drawn up an official report. The Football Association has also been informed.
'An investigation has been opened into intentional assault and battery,' says Dirk Minten, chief of the Maasland police zone. 'The parties have already been interviewed, and the initial circumstances are currently being examined. It is not yet entirely clear who started it. The investigation will have to determine that. The public prosecutor’s office is looking into it.'
"They hit me first!"
According to the referee, the Stokkem VV players started hitting him first. ‘I was hit seven times and my trousers were pulled down,’ he said.
The referee is also upset by what happened. But he says he was struck first. “I gave the player a second yellow card, and then I was struck by three players. I just wanted to defend myself and I pushed them to the ground.”
“I then fell over myself and was hit another seven times by a player and a man. They even pulled my trousers down,” the referee continues. “I then called the police and they told me I had to leave the pitch. So that’s what I did.”