Finnish football match abandoned after referee kicked in head

A lower-league football match in Finland was abandoned after a referee was subjected to a violent physical assault. The incident, which occurred during a men's Nelonen division game on Tuesday, July 28, saw the referee, Salim Ghandagha, attacked by a player.

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I was giving a warning to a visiting team player for a game situation. That resulted in an expulsion because he already had one warning.

The confrontation began when a player from the visiting team received a second yellow card for protesting a decision, resulting in his expulsion from the game. Ghandagha explained that he calmly explained the reason for the red card to the player's captain, who had come to protest. However, as the player left the field, he continued to protest, using profanity and insulting the referee.

Enraged by the second yellow card, the player then ran at full speed towards Ghandagha, striking him in the face. The referee fell to the ground, and the player proceeded to kick him in the head. Ghandagha reported being briefly unconscious before managing to signal the end of the match. Players from the home team and assistant referees rushed to his aid.

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I was unconscious for a couple of seconds. Then I tried to get up and blew the game to an end. The home team players were around me, and the assistant referees came to help.

Fortunately, Ghandagha did not suffer serious injuries, and scans of his head and neck revealed no fractures. "Sometimes people say all sorts of things to the referee during games, but no one has ever physically assaulted me. It's unbelievable – I didn't expect a player to come and hit me. It was a surprise," Ghandagha stated. The Finnish Football Association has confirmed that a police report has been filed, and the incident will be handled by the association's disciplinary committee. Based on the results service, the match in question was likely between TuPS/Skavabölen and FC Eagles in Tuusula.

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Sometimes people say all sorts of things to the referee during games, but no one has ever physically assaulted me. It's unbelievable – I didn't expect a player to come and hit me. It was a surprise.