Referee hit, arrest… the end of the U17 football match between Bouillargues and Caissargues degenerates

A catastrophic end to the match. Free Midi – Max BERULLIER

The events took place on Sunday morning. An investigation is open.

The meeting between Bouillargues and Caissargues, two teams who are playing at the top of the table in their U17 championship, should have been a football celebration. But the end of the meeting ended in a big mess.

It was, according to our information, during the additional time that things degenerated. "The score was 3 everywhere, says a member of the Caissargues club. Until then, they were playing well with the ball, with a good state of mind. After three minutes of added time, the referee whistled a free kick and the Caissargues team scored. We don't didn't really see what was happening but some young people had to protest. There were one or more red cards. And the referee immediately blew the whistle for the end of the match." 

After exchanges of mutual insults according to certain witnesses, the coach of the Bouillargues team then appeared and hit the referee. Eventually, he would have gotten up and tried to take revenge. "He was exfiltrated, taken to the locker room, then taken back to his vehicle", witnesses explain.

Open investigation

Other testimonies on the Bouillargues side would have reported less favorable versions of the referee, already criticized during the match. After being taken back to his car, he returned to the side of the stadium and threatened to rush into people who were still there. He was then pursued by the gendarmes, who arrested him in Garons.

An investigation is open. The gendarmes interviewed the referee, as well as participants in the match. Several complaints were reportedly filed.

The case was also brought to the Gard Lozère district, which we requested. She enrages the president of Avenir sportif Rousson, Mouss Guiza, where the referee is fired. "I am very angry. Yesterday, my club bus was stoned, today, my referee was hit. There is a climate of violence today in football which is unacceptable." 

The Bouillarguais president, Benjamin Canin, was able to be reached Monday evening by Midi Libre: « We do not accept the gesture of the Bouillargues coach, who was fired. But there were other things, which I will not return to here. I now trust the district, the various commissions and the gendarmerie. »