A player who attacked a referee in a men’s football match has been thrown out of his club.
The match played in Tuusula had to be suspended on Tuesday, July 28, when a player from Helsinki club FC Eagles violently assaulted referee Salim Ghandagha. The player, enraged by the red card, punched the referee in the face. The referee fell to the ground, and the player kicked him in the head.
“Sometimes in game events, people say all sorts of things to the referee, but I have never been attacked. It’s unbelievable – I didn’t expect a player to hit me. It came as a surprise,” Ghandagha told the Finnish Football Association after the incident.
FC Eagles team manager Amir Mehmeti says that the player in question was thrown out of the team immediately after the events.
“A player like this will never play or step onto the field in our jersey again. He does not represent us and is not welcome at our club matches, not even as a spectator,” the team manager says.
According to him, the player has been removed from the team’s shared communication channels. Other FC Eagles players have strongly condemned what happened.
“We completely distance ourselves from his actions. This does not correspond in any way to my values, the club’s values or the values of any other team.”
“Several players have said they will leave the club if the player who behaved violently is not thrown out.”
Mehmeti says he has been involved in football for over 27 years. According to him, there should be zero tolerance for violence within the sport.
“I am a former player myself and have coached juniors for years. Such an incident is terrible. Violence does not belong in football or anywhere else.”
According to Mehmeti, the club has also been in contact with referee Ghandagha and conveyed his best wishes for recovery.
“I would like to express my deepest apologies to the referee, the opponent, the Football Association and also our own players. This is not part of sports.”
A criminal complaint has been filed regarding the incident. According to the Football Association’s general secretary Marco Casagrande, the Football Association has started the disciplinary process.
According to the team manager, the player is currently suspended until the Football Association makes its final decision.
The club has not received official information about the length of the possible suspension.
“My assumption is that it will be a long suspension. But the Football Association will make the decision, and I don’t want to guess on their behalf,” Mehmeti says.
In the disciplinary process, the Football Association may also assess whether sanctions will be imposed on the club in addition to the player. According to the team manager, the club intends to cooperate with the Football Association and the authorities to investigate the events.
“I fully understand that they have to look at the whole situation. However, I hope that the entire club does not have to suffer because of one person’s actions.”
“The situation is of course disappointing and frustrating, but the main thing is to get a clear direction from the Football Association on where to go.”
According to Casagrande, the Football Association will make a final decision within two weeks. Due to the exceptional nature of the incident, there is no clear penalty policy. The role of the club and the possible penalty imposed on the club will also be clarified as the process progresses.
“Disciplinary is an independent and autonomous institution, so speculating on penalties is very challenging. There is also no reason to interfere with the process of an independent disciplinary body. In any case, it is clear that we expect a very severe penalty.”
“If there are grounds for punishing the club, we believe that the regional disciplinary body will also give the club an appropriate penalty.”