A referee was allegedly beheaded by fans at an amateur football match in Brazil after he killed one of the players.
According to reports in Brazil, referee Otavio Jordao da Silva, 20, fatally stabbed footballer Josenir dos Santos Abreu, 30, during a match in Maranhao, Brazil, last Sunday.
Dos Santos Abreu is believed to have argued and then struck the referee after being unhappy at his decision, prompting Jordao da Silva to attack him with a knife in retaliation, reports Eurosport.
Outraged by the incident, a group of spectators then stormed the pitch and decided to inflict a gruesome revenge on the referee.
Jordao da Silva was reportedly tied up, beaten, stoned and quartered, before the group put his head on a stake and planted it in the middle of the pitch.
Luiz Moraes de Souza, 27, has been arrested over the incident and has admitted to assaulting the referee but denies killing him.
Police are searching for two more suspects, while video evidence captured on a mobile phone is being examined.
In a statement, the regional delegate of Santa Ines, Valter Costa, who is looking after the case, said: “One crime never justifies another crime. Actions likes this do not collaborate with the legality of state law.”
