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The match official was on the receiving end as the player run onto the pitch before punching and kicking him repeatedly during a match
A referee in Australia has been left with a broken jaw and bloodied mouth after a suspended player attacked him on the pitch on Friday.
Khoder Yaghi had been refereeing a First-Grade match between Padstow Hornets and Greenacre Eagles at Padstow Park, in south-west Sydney when the suspended player, who had been watching the game, then allegedly rushed at him leaving him with three missing teeth and a jaw broken in several places.
New South Wales Police said on Sunday a 25-year-old man has since been arrested and taken to Bankstown Police Station.
He has since been identified as Greenacre player and amateur boxer Adam Abdullah, and he is expected to be charged with assault.
Mr Yaghi is continuing to recover at Liverpool Hospital and he is expected to undergo reconstructive surgery for his jaw on Monday.
Terrifying footage from the night of the wild brawl has since emerged showing the moment Mr Yaghi was repeatedly punched in the head. The spectator is seen wearing a black singlet and blue shorts as he swings his arm through the air.
Mr Yaghi is seen being pulled to the ground and trying to cover his face amid the shower of punches before a crowd quickly forms around the pair with bystanders seen trying to pull the spectator off Mr Yaghi who then staggers to his feet covered in blood and mumbles his words as he speaks through the pain.
“He broke my jaw,” he said. The spectator seen in the video is understood to be a suspended player.
Greenacre Eagles released a statement on Sunday with the team saying it had chosen to withdraw its team from the first-grade MPL competition.
“As a result of the 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,” the statement read. “This serves as a reminder to all that violence will not be tolerated at our club.”
The club added it was cooperating with the Police.
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