During a Colombian soccer game, a female referee was slapped by a player who gave a red card.
Referee Vanessa Ceballos approached the bench of replacement players in the 21st minute of the second half of the Deportivo Quique-Real Allian match at Cello Castro Stadium in Aracataka, Colombia, on the 31st of last month. Ordering Javier Bolivar to leave for acting ungentlemanly, he took out a red card. Immediately after the red card, Bolivar jumped off the bench, approached the female referee as if to threaten him, and hit her on the side of the mouth with her right hand. Outraged Ceballos rushed to Bolivar and strongly protested, and the violence ended when the coaching staff, officials and two players, surprised by the unexpected situation, separated the two.
Ceballos is a FIFA official referee who has played in Colombia's first professional men's game four years ago and all-female referees. She couldn't hide her anger at Bolivar's assault. However, Bolivar claimed that he did not intentionally hit Ceballos but tried to take the whistle out of the referee's mouth. In a statement posted on Instagram, he said "I acknowledge that my actions were rude and inappropriate, and that they were not deserved as athletes or human beings"I did the wrong thing by trying to gently pull out the referee's whistle, which became a negative message that should never have happened." "There was no physical violence against the referee at any point. However, I understand that my actions were seen as aggressive and against the values of football and respect. I sincerely apologize to her, her family, the women, and all affected by the incident" he bowed. Then "We firmly reject violence, especially against women. Women deserve the respect, consideration and praise of all of us"I promise to take actions that do not undermine anyone's dignity in the future and strive for growth both as an individual and as a player in the future."
After the shocking incident, Real Allianca decided to remove Bolivar from the team. In a club statement "We strongly condemn the unfortunate incident in which one of our club's players attacked the referee's team. This unacceptable conduct is completely inconsistent with the values of our institution."The club reaffirms its commitment to respect, discipline and fair play with its decision to expel players. Violence in any form has no place in sports and society. We condemn attacks on judges while strongly opposing violence against women and any acts that violate human dignity. Football is a space of peace, respect and friendship and should be an example for everyone," he stressed.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
