A soccer referee literally ran for his life Saturday in a League One match in England.
It happened in the 89th minute of a clash between Port Vale and Portsmouth in what is the third-tier of English soccer.
Colby Bishop had scored a penalty one minute earlier to give Portsmouth a 1-0 lead.
That’s when a Port Vale fan took things into his own hands.
He ran across the field toward referee Craig Hicks.
Upon spotting the fan, Hicks bolted for the sideline, where security and coaches stopped the fan from getting any closer to Hicks.
The fan appeared incensed after Hicks awarded the late penalty to Portsmouth, setting up the deciding goal.
Portsmouth defender Conor Shaughnessy was shocked by what he witnessed.
“I’ve never seen anything like it, it was a bit wild, I’m glad the referee’s got out of the way of it and the security have done their job,” Shaughnessy said, according to The News Portsmouth.
“It’s very rare, it’s poor from that one individual, I don’t think that sums up the whole fanbase. One individual let himself down and it should never come to that, whether the ref has made some good decisions, some bad decisions, it should just be left on the football field, there shouldn’t be any interference.”
Shaughnessy also said he thanked the referee after the match and “didn’t think he was that bad.”
Following the match, Port Vale released a statement on X:
“Port Vale Football Club condemn the actions of the individual who entered the field of play during today’s match against Portsmouth. We will work with the relevant authorities to ensure the matter and the individual is dealt with a zero tolerance approach. We remind all supporters that entering the field of play is a criminal offence.”
With the loss, Port Vale moves dangerously close to the cut line for relegation as it sits in 20th place in League One.
On the flip side, Portsmouth tightened its hold on first place, two points clear of second-place Bolton.
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