Footballer arrested for headbutting referee

A 21-year-old Schiedam football player was arrested on Tuesday for aggravated assault on a referee during a football match on Sunday. The player headbutted 60-year-old Rotterdam referee Henry Swenandan during a match between Steeds Hoger 3 and Kocatepe 7, AD reports.

Five minutes before the end of the match, the referee issued a red card for tackling. The football player in question was not happy and headbutted the referee.

According to the police, immediately after the attack, the football player pulled off his shirt, turned it inside out and put it back on before running off. This was in attempt to hide his identity - his football number was on the back of the shirt.

The police launched an investigation that led to the football player from Schiedam. He was arrested on Tuesday and is in custody.

Referee Sewnandan sustained a broken nose and several bruises on his face. He told AD that the pain and trouble breathing have kept him awake for days. He hopes that after his checkup in hospital on Friday, he will be back at work refereeing on Friday evening. "If I let these people frighten me, I'll have no life", he said to the newspaper.