Things turned ugly on Sunday during a fifth-tier match between Hulsel and Nieuw Woensel. A spectator threatened referee Max Willemse, 19, with death, Eindhovens Dagblad reports.
Shortly after half-time, the atmosphere at Hulsel's sports ground changed completely. With the score at 1-3, an angry spectator approached the referee and hurled a bizarre remark at Willemse.
"If there’s another stupid decision like that, I’ll go home and get my gun," the spectator is said to have shouted. Both Willemse and several bystanders have confirmed that. The 19-year-old referee then decided to abandon the match immediately.
"It felt like a serious threat," the referee told ED. "He looked me straight in the eyes and it really felt as if he meant it." Shaken by the incident, Willemse no longer wanted to restart the match. It made no difference that the spectator had already been removed from the sports ground.
Still, the referee was pleased with how Hulsel’s board acted. The spectator was sent away immediately, and Willemse also spoke to the home club’s board by phone on Monday.
"It was a good phone call, in which they apologised and also indicated that the person involved will be banned from the sports ground," Willemse said.
Since then, the referee has filed a report with the police. Willemse is not letting the incident knock him off course, though. "It is very unpleasant what happened, but I do see it as a one-off incident. I’m looking forward to refereeing the next match, then I can put the incident behind me," he concluded.