Ever seen a referee with a gun? Probably not. It is not something that happens on a regular basis - in fact, it is something that has never happened before - until now.
A lower league match in Brazil became the talk of the day after a referee was attacked by several players for not showing a player from the other team a red card. Apparently, the referee was kicked and slapped, and to take control of the situation, he ran to his locker and returned with a gun.
Naturally, him returning with his gun ended all violence towards him, but that didn't stop the team's coach from still trying to argue for that red card. Other officials had to swiftly make their way to the field before things got out of hand. Just imagine the headline if this referee had pumped a few rounds into the attacking players.
The referee we're talking about here is known as Gabriel Murta, a police officer by day.
Reports say that Murta will undergo psychological testing, and then he will appear before the Minas Gerais Football Federation to face disciplinary action.
Bringing a gun to a football field is very dangerous, so we do not expect Murta to be reinstated. However, referees in Brazil have always been bullied and attacked by players, so one could see why Murta chose to fight back.
After this incident, the Federation needs to find ways to protect referees before something terrible happens. We could have been talking about several players with gunshot wounds today, but luckily things took a different turn.
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