Referee is attacked during a soccer game in Maranhão – 02/05/2023 – Sport

A female referee was attacked during a society soccer match, in Imperatriz (639 km from São Luís), in Maranhão, on Sunday (30). According to reports, goalkeeper Vicente Rodrigues cursed judge Ana Érica Nascimento, slapped her on the arm and pushed her for not accepting an arbitration determination.

The player, who was Maranhão champion with JV Lideral in 2009, was heard at the police station and released. According to the Civil Police, Vicente Rodrigues will respond freely for the crime of simple bodily injury. The corporation did not know whether the suspect has a lawyer.

The case is being investigated by the 1st Police District of Imperatriz, where the referee, the goalkeeper and witnesses testified. This Tuesday (2), Ana Érica underwent a forensic examination.

The aggression occurred at the end of the game between the teams PCM Frios and Feirão dos Móveis. “He came to complain about the warning, cursing me, and I took the red card. It was at that moment that he slapped my hand and then pushed me with both hands on my chest”, said the referee, in an interview with Rede Mirante, an affiliate of TV Globo in Maranhão.

Images that circulated on social media showed the confusion on the field. With the turmoil, the match, valid for the Worker’s Cup, was ended. The competition is considered the largest, at an amateur level, in the North and Northeast regions in football 7, also known as society football or fut7. The modality is played between two teams of seven players each.

Ana Érica has been a soccer referee for 13 years and is part of the refereeing staff of the Maranhão Football Federation 7 and CBF7 (Brazilian Football Confederation 7).

With the episode, she said she thinks about giving up the arbitration. “We are vulnerable to these things there, especially women. Even so, I didn’t expect that this could happen. The will now is to give up because we are workers, mothers, and we are ashamed of having gone through that,” he said.

The Nova Liga, organizer of the tournament, regretted what happened and said it is collaborating with the investigations. PCM Frios, of which Vicente is part of the team, repudiated the goalkeeper’s conduct and reported that “it is taking appropriate internal measures”.