A Brazilian football manager has been sacked after headbutting a lineswoman during a match on Sunday.
The disgraceful incident occurred in the game between Desportivo Ferroviaria and Nova Venecia in the fifth tier of Brazilian football.
Desportivo Ferroviaria manager Rafael Soriano stormed onto the pitch to contest a decision after the half-time whistle had been blown.
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He was handed a yellow card for his protests, at which point lineswoman Marcielly Netto attempted to defuse the situation.
Soriano reacted angrily to her intervention and headbutted the female official to the disbelief of the two sets of players.
He was swiftly pulled away from Netto and shown a red card by the referee.
Soriano began to leave the pitch but then turned around and attempted to reach Netto for a second time.
But he was prevented from confronting the lineswoman by a group of police officers in riot gear.
Desportivo Ferroviaria have since confirmed that Soriano has been sacked.
“Desportiva Ferroviaria goes public to inform that it repudiates any type of violence, whether physical, verbal, moral or emotional, especially against women, and we sympathise with the arbitration assistant Marcielly Netto, making us available for whatever is necessary,” read a statement.
“We also inform you that, in the face of what happened, coach Rafael Soriano was disconnected from the club.”
The club released a further statement on Monday, claiming they had attempted to contact Netto to offer their support.
It read: “We inform that Desportiva Ferroviaria tried to contact the referee Marcielly Netto by telephone to apologise, offer help, support and make itself available, but it was not answered.
“We understand the moment, respect the victim's space and will be waiting for the return. We reiterate our commitment to assist in whatever it takes.
“The club will also offer professional psychological assistance and develop actions to combat any type of violence against women inside and outside the stadiums.”
Earlier this season, Sao Paulo RS player William Ribeiro was arrested for kicking a referee in the head after he awarded a free kick against him in a match in Brazil’s sixth tier.
Referee Rodrigo Crivellaro was left unconscious by the attack and Ribeiro was later charged with attempted murder.
Rory O'Callaghan