A soccer referee has broken his jaw after a player allegedly attacked him at a match in Padstow. Video / Socrates Miles
An Australian football referee who was viciously attacked after a game in Sydney is vowing to return to the game he loves.
45-year-old Khoder Yaghi is today undergoing reconstructive surgery after his jaw was broken in the unrelenting assault on Friday night after a club game between Greenacre Eagles and Padstow Hornets.
The bashing was caught on video and circulated widely on social media.
Padstow Hornets had won the game 5-1 and players were mingling after the final whistle when a dispute broke out between players regarding some controversial refereeing calls, the Daily Telegraph reported.
A spectator then charged Yaghi, knocking him to the ground before grabbing his shirt and unleashing a sickening, sustained assault.
“No f**king way will this stop me. Never. I’m going to referee ‘til I die,” he told the Telegraph via text message.
He said his attacker was a suspended player and “referees didn’t do any mistakes”.
Adam Abdallah, a Greenacre player and amateur boxer, was arrested yesterday over the assaults.
Police confirmed the details of the attack in a statement.
“Just before 10.30pm on Friday (28 April 2023), a spectator allegedly confronted a referee at the conclusion of a soccer match at Padstow Park.
“It’s alleged the man assaulted the referee by punching him multiple times in the face and kicking him to the head,” police said.
“Other spectators intervened and assisted the referee while the man fled the scene.”
After the shameful attack, Greenacre announced that their first-grade team was leaving the 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 club said in a statement.
“This serves as a reminder to all that violence will not be tolerated at our club.”
