A Brazilian football referee has pulled out a gun rather than a red card during a regional league match in Brumadinho near Belo Horizonte. The incident took place during a game between Brumadinho and Amantes da Bolaof, when the latter's manager and subs invaded the pitch and demanded a red card against a rival player.
League president Valdenir de Castro claimed that referee Gabriel Murta, who is also a police officer, was kicked and slapped after which he lost cool. Murta ran to the dressing room and came back with a gun in his hand. In a video footage, the linesman and other players stopped him on his way and asked him to keep his gun back in the locker room.
Referees' association president Giuliano Bozzano said that though Murta felt threatened, his reaction was improper. He would also undergo a psychological assessment and is facing suspension or a permanent ban.
In his reaction to the whole incident, Bozzano said: "The Minais Gerais Football Federation has already summoned the referee and a psychologist to a meeting and I'm going to talk with him.
"On the basis of that conversation and his account of events and the results of the psychological assessment I'll decide what if any measures to take. What's happened is obviously not a common occurrence and I don't want to rush into anything. At the moment it happened he's opted for getting his gun because in his view it was a question of controlling a situation."
