A Sydney referee was subject to a shocking attack from a spectator leaving him with a broken jaw.
Adam Abdullah, an amateur boxer, has been charged over the alleged attack which was caught on camera and shows the horrific scenes in which the official was hit multiple times.
The incident happened at a Men’s Premier League football match at Padstow Park between the Greenacre Eagles and Padstow Hornets on Friday (April 28) night.
The Daily Telegraph reported that the official suffered a broken jaw and had four teeth knocked out in the attack.
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The report claimed that Abdullah was a suspended player who had attended the match as a spectator and jumped the guardrail after being told to ‘please move away’ by the referee.
The footage was shared on Twitter and has been viewed 288k times.
It depicts shocking events that show the referee hit and kicked multiple times as fellow spectators and players attempt to move Abdullah away.
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Even as he is separated from the referee, the man can be seen attempting to fight off those holding back in order to get back to the referee.
The video lasts for more than two minutes and shows the referee often helpless at times.
Later on in the video, once the referee is finally moved to safety, he is seen with a bloody mouth and telling another person that his jaw is broken.
Abdullah attended Bankstown Local Court where the court opposed his bail as they believed he was still an endanger to the community, as per Fox Sports.
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The police prosecutor told the court: “This is an outrageous attack on a match official who was simply officiating at a soccer game.”
The prosecutor alleges that there was ‘little to no provocation’ from the referee and that Mr Abdullah became aggressive.
Mr Abdullah’s defence lawyer Talal Krayem told the court that his client was due to become a father in four months.
He argued that the referee had used a sideline flag to defend himself, which caused Abdullah to fall to the ground and later have bruising on his head.
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In response to the incident, the Greenacre Eagles sent out a statement condemning any forms of violence.
They wrote: “As a result of an incident that occurred following the conclusion of the match, our club has made the decision to withdraw the team from the competition for the remainder of the 2023 season.
“We will continue to work with the association to impose the appropriate sanctions necessary.”
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SPORTbible has reached out to Football NSW for comment.
Jayden Collins