The Bandra police have booked three members of Mumbai City Football Club (FC) for allegedly assaulting a referee following their 1-0 loss to Karnataka Sports Association in the Elite Division League on Wednesday.
The referee, Umesh Patel, said a physiotherapist, a coach and a player wearing jersey number 4 of the Mumbai team allegedly assaulted him after he blew the final whistle. The match began at 3.30 p.m. and was organised by the Mumbai District Football Association (MDFA) at Neville D’Souza Football Turf in Bandra.
Mr. Patel said, “Once the match ended at 5.30 p.m., the players were furious because of their defeat. The players believed I made a wrong decision and the team’s physiotherapist came to the ground and argued with me. Along with him, the team’s coach spat at me. I tried to push them with the flag in my hand, after which the whole team attacked me and started beating me up.”
He added, “I have a swelling on my head and also feel pain in the genital area. I will file a complaint with the MDFA on Thursday as such behaviour in a reputed league tournament should not be tolerated.”
The Bandra police have filed an FIR and booked the three members of the team for voluntarily causing hurt under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.
MDFA officials were not available for comment.
