RIOT police were forced to to step in to protect a referee and his assistants after a crunch promotion match in Peru descended into utter chaos.
Following the game between Deportivo Garcilaso and rivals Deportivo Llacuabamba, the match officials were mercilessly attacked by seething players, fans and coaches.
Riot police were forced to step in to protect the match officials from abuse
Players, fans and coaches swarmed the pitch to attack the ref after the game
Players and fans were left fuming during the massive promotion game
The disgusting scenes were sparked after the ref red-carded a player for a crunching tackle before immediately blowing the final whistle.
One of the assistant referees then has a ball thrown at his head by a pitch invader.
One of the goalkeepers is then filmed sprinting towards the ruck as home fans – whose side lost – ran towards the centre circle and tried to attack the officials.
But he ended up on the receiving end of a karate kick which sent him crashing to the floor in the shocking finale to the match.
After the clash, Llacuabamba players ended up having to leave the stadium in the back of a lorry normally used to transport horses.
They were also given a police escort as a safety precaution.
They had planned to leave in their normal team bus before it was stoned by angry home fans waiting outside the stadium.
A club official who posted a video of the Llacuabamba players sat in the back of the truck said: “This is the way we’re having to leave the stadium at the police’s recommendation.
“It’s a lorry that’s normally used to transport horses. It’s disgraceful.”
The violence occurred during a return leg match between the two third division sides as part of the Copa Peru, which guarantees its winner promotion.
Police wielding batons and shields stormed the field to restore order
Away side Deportivo Llacuabamba secured a place in the semi-finals after a 1-1 draw with their home rivals following a 2-0 home victory in the first match on November 10.
A police official in the tourist city of Cusco, where the game was played, said an investigation was underway.
There were no reports of any serious injuries despite the severity of some of the violence that was filmed.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
