Benfica captain Luisão sent off for pushing over ref

Table of Contents

Saturday's friendly match between Fortuna Düsseldorf and Benfica was abandoned before halftime after the referee was knocked to the ground by Luisão.

Photo: AP

Late in the first half, referee Christian Fischer was about to show a second yellow card to Benfica midfielder Javi García when Luisão came rushing over to protest and shoved the official.

The match official immediately went down and remained on the ground motionless for a few seconds before eventually carried from the pitch.

The replay is not entirely conclusive, but appears to show the Benfica captain pushing the referee rather than punching him.

And when Fischer got back to his feet, he immediately led his crew down the tunnel and the match was abandoned.

"I was surprised. I did not make any move of aggression," Luisão was quoted as saying by Record.

"I tried to be ahead of my colleagues and I saw the referee fall. I tried to talk to the assistants still on the pitch to explain my intention."

Fortuna returned to play a further 45 minutes without their Portuguese opponents, splitting their squad into two sides of 11 men to ensure the fans at the Düsseldorf Arena were given some value for their money.

Enjoy this article?

Get insights like this weekly.

Thank you!

You have successfully joined our subscriber list.

Also Read:

• Zlatan roughs up three PSG teammates in one training session
• Referee dispossess player and takes shot on goal
• Portugal's Quaresma and Lopes involved in training fight
• Crazy goalkeeper boxing with goalposts
• Russian hooligans assault stadium security guards