A referee suffered a broken jaw after allegedly being assaulted at a football match in Sydney's south-west on Friday night.
Police have charged a 25-year-old man after an alleged assault at the end of a Men's Premier League match at Padstow Park, where the Padstow Hornets defeated the Greenacre Eagles.
"A spectator allegedly confronted a referee at the conclusion of a soccer match," NSW police said in a statement.
"It's alleged the man assaulted the referee by punching him multiple times in the face and kicking him to the head."
The 25-year-old Villawood man was arrested at Bankstown police station.
He has been charged with wounding a person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and affray.
He was refused bail and is set to appear at Bankstown Local Court on Monday.
The incident was caught on camera, with video showing a verbal altercation involving the referee and a spectator before a man runs onto the field.
That footage, which does not capture the beginning of the incident, shows a man pushing the official to the ground and punching him in the head.
Members from both teams came to the aid of the referee, who was left bleeding from the mouth.
"I broke my jaw," the referee can be heard saying in the footage.
The man was taken to Liverpool Hospital suffering an injury to his jaw, where he remains in a stable condition.
On Sunday, Premier Chris Minns called the incident "troubling".
"Treat referees with some respect, they do a difficult job. Thank God they do it, we would not be able to run any weekend competitions without them," he said.
"Any report suggesting a referee has been assaulted is completely unacceptable."
Bankstown District Amateur Football Association says the "alleged perpetrator" was a suspended player.
"Bankstown Football is fully co-operating with the police on this matter," it said in a statement.
"Bankstown Football has also commenced its own investigation into this matter and will follow its judiciary regulations and processes."
In another statement, Greenacre Eagles FC said the club had withdrawn its team from the competition for the remainder of the 2023 season.
"We will continue to work with the association to impose the appropriate sanctions necessary," the club said.
"This serves as a reminder to all that violence will not be tolerated at our club."
Football NSW said it has "zero tolerance for any antisocial behaviour from any of its participants at any time and will be providing ongoing assistance and support to the Bankstown Football Association on this matter over the ensuing weeks".
NSW Police said officers from Bankstown were called to the field on Davies Road about 10:30pm.
"Two groups were playing a soccer match at Davies Road, Padstow, when a referee was allegedly punched in the face after a verbal altercation with a spectator," a police statement said.
