Brazilian referee pulls out GUN after allegedly being punched
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An amateur match in Brazil turned to farce when a referee brought a gun and handcuffs onto the pitch after claiming a player had punched him in the face.
The incident happened during a game between Industrial and Oriente in the Amador Regional Championships of the Passense League last Sunday.
With Industrial winning 3-2 in the 75th minute, the game turned ugly and ended in confusion when the official awarded a penalty for Oriente.
Industrial player Marcos Lopes Vieira disputed the decision and allegedly punched the referee in the face.
Referee Camilo Eustáquio de Souza, who is also a police officer, then sparked fear and amazement with his reaction.
De Souza grabbed a weapon along with a pair of handcuffs from a dugout, but a linesman blocked the official and persuaded him not to take the matter further.
Vieira, meanwhile, is said to have clambered over the Starling Soares Stadium fence to hide in a dressing room for safety.
But a defiant de Souza defended his actions and declared he had not overreacted.
De Souza, who has been a ref for 19 years, said after the match:
My actions were not an exaggeration - the exaggeration was down to the behaviour of the player.
I was in charge of the game and to bring things under control I made the decision to act in my capacity as a police officer and arrest a citizen who assaulted me.
I took the handcuffs so everyone could see that I was not going to use aggression but I was going to take him into custody.
Industrial coach Ideraldo Ribeiro de Assis, who is a retired cop, made a formal complaint while acknowledging his player was in the wrong.
In the changing rooms, I told my player off but what the referee did was completely wrong and a total overreaction.
This situation could have ended in a really bad way if the player had not run off as tempers on both sides were already out of control.
De Souza is now facing a two-year suspension from the game after being reported for abusing his power.
