Libyan football referee Jilani Al-Hudayri was sent to the intensive care unit (ICU) at a hospital in Surman after being brutally assaulted by officials and fans of Rafik Club during a First Division League match.
The assault on the match referee and his assistants occurred after the Rafik Club hosted their opponent, Al-Tirsana, in a match held on Saturday at the Surman Stadium, located 60 kilometers west of the capital, Tripoli. The match ended with Al-Tirsana winning 2-1.
The match officials were violently attacked, resulting in serious injuries to referee Al-Hudayri, who was admitted to intensive care. The assistant referees also suffered beatings.
The Referees Committee of the Libyan Football Federation strongly condemned the assault on the referee, stating: “The attack on referee Jilani Al-Hudayri resulted in serious injuries that led to the referee being admitted to intensive care.”
The committee called for serious action from the Ministry of Interior and the Libyan Football Federation, urging the enactment of laws following the repeated assaults on referees. It described the situation as continuing the dire circumstances faced by Libyan referees, with an increasing series of verbal, physical, and assault attacks.
The Referees Committee announced the suspension of participation at matches involving Rafik Club until its demands are met, including obtaining justice, holding the perpetrators accountable, and providing material and moral compensation to referee Al-Hudayri.
Last month, the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) demanded administrative and legal penalties against the Libyan team, Abu Salim.
The EFA filed a complaint with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) after some players from the Libyan team assaulted Egyptian referee Mohamed Marouf during a game against Morocco’s Renaissance Berkane in the CAF Confederation Cup.
The match was tied 2-2 until the 90+7th minute, with Renaissance Berkane scoring what seemed like a qualifying goal before it was disallowed. However, the Moroccan club scored again in the 90+15th minute, which Abu Salim’s players deemed excessive injury time.
Following the goal, there was a confrontation between Abu Salim players and Egyptian referee Mohamed Marouf, resulting in Marouf showing a red card to Abu Salim player Hussam Miftah Al-Abani.
