Kuwaiti Soccer Ref Punches and Kicks Player Before Giving Him Red Card

In the Kuwaiti Premier League, referees will literally kick you off the field.

Indeed, a certain Kuwaiti ref didn’t avoid physical contact when angry players swarmed down upon him, and he even managed to dish out a bit of punishment.

The incident occurred Thursday after referee Saad Al Fadhli made a controversial call during a match between Al Nasar and Al Arabi. It began with shoving and ended in kicking and punching. There were also red cards—many red cards.

Video of the incident was picked up by Chris Wright of WhoAteAllthePies.tv, who notes Fadhli’s unwillingness to back down in the face of angry Al Nasar players.

The entire Al Nasar defense swarmed Fadhli after the referee called for a penalty kick in favor of Al Arabi. As you can see in the video, the players began shoving and chesting up to the official, as if that was somehow going to change the call.

Fadhli was completely unfazed, however. The referee backed away from the field, but when one player began grabbing him by the shirt, welp, that’s when he let the big left fly.

The ref cracked No. 11 in the face, sending him tumbling to the ground. He also threw a kick—again targeting No. 11, who got off the ground after realizing a flop wouldn’t earn him any rewards. 

More Al Nasar players tried to intervene but were hesitant to mix it up with Fadhli after seeing him break out the fisticuffs. The scene ended in a wash of red cards, which Fadhli doled out like rice at a wedding.

Al Nasar got a petty bit of revenge, kicking the ball at Fadhli after Al Arabi capitalized on its penalty kick. Al Arabi got the last laugh with a 4-1 victory, though.

It was an ugly end to a match. That said, this ref had the stones to stand his ground and dish out some punishment. 

Join me on Twitter for more sports-ness.

Follow @Dr__Carson