Being a referee is a difficult, thankless job. No ref will ever get every call right (or wrong) but it’s always important to remember that 99.9 percent of referees are just trying to facilitate a fair match between two teams. Unfortunately these refs in New Delhi, India, were attacked for doing their job.
The video picks up as the melee is beginning, with players starting to take swings (and kicks) at the center official, so it’s uncertain what precipitated the referee assault. The referees ultimately fled the scene. No matter what kind of bad call was made, nothing excuses the actions of this team (players and coaches alike). You could give some argument that even the other team is at fault to an extent for not trying to protect the officials.
These players doesn't deserve to play the beautiful game. pic.twitter.com/2Lltw4yulI
— Shaji Prabhakaran (@Shaji4Football) October 19, 2017
By the end of the 45-second clip, the referees are running from their attackers like they’re in some sort of zombie apocalypse, escaping the plagued undead charging at them. One assistant referee jumps over a large wall and the last we see of him are his legs in the air before he tumbles down onto the other side.
These deplorable acts from this team must be severely punished. And also mocked, not just for their immature, disgraceful nature. The punches lacked real force and looked like they were thrown by 4-year-olds. One guy who landed a cheap shot by landing a running kick into the back of the center ref ended up falling to the ground.
There was one redeeming facet of the spineless attacks on the defenseless referees: teamwork. The players and coaches worked together to commit these cowardly actions, as evidenced by one player tossing the ball to his goalkeeper who then threw the ball square onto the noggin of the center ref. Plus, just about every player landed a minor blow: the tiki-taka version of referee assault.
Hopefully these players and coaches are handed extreme discipline for their actions. Hopefully no one else sees this and thinks it’s a good idea to strike a referee (or anyone, for that matter). We need more of this kind of soccer from India, not these unacceptable actions.
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