In light of the shocking attack on a ref in Turkish soccer, VSO News has listed five times referees were attacked during live sports. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

Referee attacked in Turkey

A referee was brutally attacked by the president of Turkish soccer club Ankaragucu after a 1-1 draw with Rizespor in the Turkish Super Lig on Monday.

kicked while lying on the ground

Halil Umut Meler was left with a nice shiner after Faruk Koca punched him out of frustration following a 97th-minute goal that tied the match at one apiece. The ref was also kicked while lying on the ground, prompting the league to suspend all matches indefinitely.

Koca has now been arrested for “injuring a public official.” But unfortunately, this isn’t the only time a referee has been attacked on the job. VegasSlotsOnline News has listed five other infamous moments of referees suffering from physical violence while on the job.

UFC madness

Iranian fighter Razi Jabbari, who was not well-liked by his peers, was choked out by a promoter after he attacked a ref during the announcement of a fight result in 2015.

Jabbari fought Filipino combatant Honorio Banario at URCC Baguio 3 in the Philippines. The pre-fight build-up was heated, and there were few positive feelings shared between the two.

Jabbari, who had already lost four straight fights, found himself curled up on the receiving end of a series of heavy strikes from Banario. Referee Joey Lepiten waved off the fight and shortly thereafter called the two to the center of the ring for the announcement of the winner, only for Jabbari to switch back into fight mode and send Lepiten falling to the ground.

quickly snuck behind Banario and submitted him in a chokehold

Luckily for the confused ref, the promoter of the fight, Alvin Aguilar, a trained black belt, quickly snuck behind Banario and submitted him in a chokehold. He didn’t release pressure until Jabbari fell to the mat unconscious, ending the scuffle once and for all.

The worm’s head-butt

During a March 1996 game in Dennis Rodman’s first season with the NBA’s Chicago Bulls, he did something as extravagant and unexpected as his many unique hairstyles.

While taking on the New Jersey Nets, Rodman was given a technical foul for slamming the ball on the court out of frustration. Later in the game, he was given a common foul and then hit with a second technical for arguing his role in a scuffle with big man Rick Mahorn.

Rodman’s frustration boiled over and led to him shouting at Ted Bernhardt. Then, after getting in his face, Rodman headbutted him, and was ejected for a second time.

The NBA suspended Chicago’s enforcer for six games and fined him $20,000 from his $2.5m annual contract.

A “friendly” game

In 2022, a 72-year-old youth baseball umpire suffered a fractured jaw after he was attacked by an incensed coach.

the man needing to have his jaw wired

The coach, who was in charge of a team at a 13-and-under tournament in Branchburg, New Jersey, was reportedly seen drinking between games. The coach stormed onto the field to argue a call with the ump and eventually sucker-punched him, resulting in the man needing to have his jaw wired and several dental surgeries.

The coach fled the scene after the ump fell to the ground. Witnesses reported that parents on the team of the aggressive coach said “he deserved it!”

One ref attacked, one man dead

An amateur soccer player in the capital city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, was found dead with a gunshot wound to the head shortly after he was charged with attempted homicide for vigorously attacking a referee during a match in July.

Williams Alexander Tapon ran to defend his teammate in a dispute with a referee, first knocking the man to the floor with a punch and then kicking him in the head. The ref lost consciousness and was taken to a local hospital for treatment. 

Tapon was charged with “aggravated attempted homicide with premeditation in the context of a sporting event” and faced 10-15 years in prison if convicted.

led her to believe he committed suicide

Police did not confirm Tapon’s cause of death, but his widow said that she received a message that led her to believe he committed suicide. “In the audio message he sent me saying goodbye, he told me, ‘Take care of our children’ and ‘I prefer that everyone suffer at once rather than seeing me suffer every day in prison,’” said his widow.

A short-lived career

In December 2020, a widely shared video showed a high school football referee in Texas being attacked by an outraged player during a game.

Emmanuel Durong was ejected for committing two personal fouls during a showdown between Edinburg High and Pharr-San Juan-Alamo High. After initially walking off the field, he stormed back out and blindsided the ref with a body-crunching blow that sent him flying through the air.

Durong was suspended from all sports for a year, the team coach was put on probation for a year, and the school’s athletic department was suspended for two years. Durong was also charged with Class A assault by local authorities.