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Football
Adult punches teen football referee in the face
A teenage football referee was assaulted by an adult man on Saturday after the match between the F4 Brabantia and F3 DBA from Eindhoven. According to the teenager, 16 year old Denzel Camelia, the man threatened and punched him in the face because he thought he did not do his job well.
Camelia told Omroep Brabant that the man approached him after the match. "He said I could not referee. I tried to stay calm and talk with the man, but then he began to shout and threaten." Camelia said, adding that things escalated from there. "He hit me about eight times, twice in my face. I started screaming and crying because I did not know what to do."
The teenager called the police, who talked to him, the man who attacked him and potential witnesses. "I told them I want to press charges, but because I had no visible injuries and because witnesses could not confirm my story, that was not an option."
On Monday Brabantia confirmed to the broadcaster that something happened after the match. "We are investigating exactly what happened. It has our full attention", youth chairman Patrick Tuijn said. "We have spoken with the man who attacked the referee, but he denies hitting him. He would only have pushed. But the very fact that he stormed the boy is going to far for us."
Camelia was checked by a doctor after the match. He sustained a bruised jaw and a broken tooth in the attack.