An amateur referee in El Salvador has died after being attacked by players and supporters for showing a red card.
Jose Arnaldo Anaya, 63, passed away as a result of internal injuries sustained while officiating the match at the Toluca Stadium in Miramont, San Salvador, last weekend.
The referee, with more than 20 years of experience, showed one player a second yellow card leading to an angry reaction. Other players and a number of supporters then proceeded to attack him, local media reported.
According to Fesfut, the El Salvador football association, Anaya was "brutally" attacked by "pseudo fans and players" causing "blunt" injuries that led to his death.
"As a federation, we condemn all acts of violence that are being generated in the different sporting venues in the country," an El Salvador FA statement read.
Mr Anaya received medical attention on the pitch and was taken to the nearby Zacamil hospital for further treatment, where doctors identified internal bleeding that they could not stop.
"As a federation, we condemn what happened to referee Jose Arnoldo Amaya, and we trust that the authorities can find those responsible for taking the life of the referee," the El Salvador FA president Hugo Carrillo said on TV show El Tiki Taka.
According to local media, the police are yet to make any arrests.
German Martinez, a referee in the professional ranks in El Salvador, said on social media: "What a great sadness to find out that they cowardly and savagely murdered, a so-called player, in the Toluca neighbourhood of San Salvador, Arnoldo Amaya. Great friend, adviser, who always gave me that call to wish success in arbitration. We ask for justice!"
