It took place in the Bulgarian fourth tier
A video posted online this week has shown a referee in the Bulgarian fourth-tier being hounded off the field of play and chased into a car park by furious players, leaving the game abandoned just 20 minutes in.
The video – captured by on-looker, Nikola Penev, and posted to Facebook – sees players absolute lose the plot with the poor ref. There’s dissent and then there’s swinging for the fella and chasing him into the car park.
Watch the crazy scene unfold as the referee is chased off the pitch and is forced to abandon the game.
This match in Bulgaria was abandoned after 21 minutes, with players and officials chasing the referee off the pitch and into the car park! 😳🏁 pic.twitter.com/J6fczeYdvv
— Sky Sports (@SkySports) March 17, 2021
These kind of scenes are the type of thing one might see in Sunday league, not in an actual football match however far down the divisions it may be. The other team do their best to break things up but things are already out of hand.
Moreover, while we often see players clashing with each other and sometimes throwing hands, it’s very rare you see someone go from verbal abusing to attempting to straight-up assault the referee.
Things go from bad to worse as the furious players are joined by local supporters who chase him towards the changing rooms.
After blowing the whistle, suspending the game after just 21 minutes, one bloke even tries to ping the ball at the ref’s head – a mildly amusing moment in what actually become a somewhat worrying watch.
He quickly realises there’s no refuge there either and is ultimately chased out into the car park. Worth noting that all this argy-bargy was sparked over just a booking, who knows what madness would have ensued over a red.
