A NON-LEAGUE footballer has been arrested on suspicion of serious assault of a referee.
Dave Bradshaw was in charge of Saturday’s clash between Platt Bridge and Wigan Rose when he gave one of the Platt Bridge players a red card.
The official then suffered a broken nose, four broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder, a broken collarbone, concussion and whiplash in the attack.
Now Greater Manchester Police have confirmed a 24-year-old man is being held by cops over the incident.
Senior investigating officer, Detective Inspector John Davies, said: “This is a serious assault in which the victim sustained significant, but not life-threatening, injuries.
“GMP takes assaults such as this extremely seriously and we will be supporting the victim as the investigation progresses, to ensure his wellbeing.”
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Bradshaw was rushed to hospital but has since been discharged.
The referee said: “Hi all, been a very traumatic 12 hours, thanks for all the kind words.
“I’ve sustained significant and substantial injuries but I’ll survive. My confidence has been smashed to bits but please, because of one person, don’t tarnish the club with the same brush.
“The club is doing great things for the community. Up the refs.”
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Platt Bridge confirmed on social media the player in question has already been released.
The football club tweeted: “We as a club do not condone any violence towards anyone in the football community.
“We are ashamed of what has happened, and the player is no longer playing with our team going forward.
“We have spoken to the ref and apologised.
“We as a team hope we can build our reputation back to what we have worked so hard for.”
Anyone with information, images or videos of the incident at the Platt Bridge football pitches has been asked to get in touch with the police.
Please contact GMP on 0161 856 7094 quoting reference number 2490-021022, 101 or through the independent charity, Crimestoppers, on 0800 555 111.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
