Brazilian Referee Stabs Soccer Player to Death; Gets Beheaded on Pitch

May 25, 2013; Bronx, NY, USA; A general view of the pitch before the start of the friendly between Manchester City FC and Chelsea FC at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Well, that’s not what you expect to see when you go to a soccer match. During an amateur soccer match last weekend in Brazil, a referee faced retaliation for stabbing a player to death in a scene that turned very ugly on the pitch. 

The referee, 20-year-old Otávio Jordão da Silva, was confronted by thirty-year-old Josenir dos Santos Abreu because of a call during the match. Abreu swung at da Silva during their argument, which prompted the 20-year-old to pull out a knife he was carrying during the match and stab Abreu. On the way to the hospital, the injuries were too much for Abreu to handle and he was dead before they arrived at the hospital.

Shortly after, Abreu’s families and friends approached the pitch where they apparently tied up the referee before beating him, stoning him and ultimately cutting off his head. They then took his head, placed it on a stake and set it in the middle of the pitch.

It was obviously a gruesome scene that no one planned on seeing when they decide to attend the game.

One man, 27-year-old Luis Moraes Souza, was arrested for his involvement, while authorities continue to search for others.

Valter Costa, police chief of Santa Ines in Maranhão, issued a statement regarding the incident.

“Reports of witnesses have indicated some people that were in place at the time of the fact. We will identify and hold accountable all those involved. A crime will never justify another. Actions like this do not collaborate with the legality of a state law.”

[H/T: FOX Soccer]