Association even backed him: referee confronted player with pistol | OneFootball

According to official DFB figures, more than 3,000 amateur matches in Germany were abandoned last season due to incidents of violence and discrimination. The verbal or physical abuse is often directed at the referees. That was also the case in Brazil in 2015.

When the Amantes da Bola team went after referee Gabriel Murta, however, they had no idea who they were dealing with.

The referee in charge of the match between Amantes and hosts Brumadinho was, in his day job, a police officer — and he quickly used that to his advantage during the game. After several physical attacks, Murta tried to go after one of the players. His assistants, however, managed to calm him down and convince him to head to the dressing room with them.

Once in the tunnel area, though, Murta changed his mind. After reaching into his locker, he headed back out. What followed were unbelievable scenes.

The referee returned to the pitch with his service weapon in his hand. While some of the away players fled immediately, Murta had to be restrained by his assistants.

"I was punched in the face and kicked in the shin. Several players surrounded me, and I went to the dressing room to get my gun and arrest one of the players," the then-27-year-old later told Brazilian media.

Although, thankfully, no shots were fired, the football association of the state of Minas Gerais suspended him and ordered a psychological evaluation. Weeks later, a surprising statement followed.

"He acted in self-defense. Everyone knows how difficult amateur championships are. Referees have often found themselves in dangerous situations. There have already been several cases in which referees were attacked and even shot at," said the association’s chairman, Giuliano Bozzano.

Gabriel Murta was allowed to continue refereeing and even worked his way up to Brazil’s fourth tier, Série D. However, the now 37-year-old last officiated a match there in 2021. Fortunately, without any further incidents.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.

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