Bosnia: after a match, supporters of Velez Mostar set fire to the car of a football referee

It might look like a movie.

To a sad and pathetic remake of “Death to Arbitrator” by Jean-Pierre Mocky.

Unfortunately, these are real facts, and the worst has been narrowly avoided.

Several supporters - stupid and unhappy - of Velez Mostar set fire to the car of a referee on Tuesday evening, which they waited for in a tunnel after their team lost to Borac Banja Luka (0-2) on Tuesday evening during a match in the Bosnian football championship, police said.

In the 82nd minute of the match, after a second goal that sealed the victory (2-0) for Borac, the defending champion, several dozen exasperated Velez supporters took to the pitch to express their anger and challenge several decisions of the referee.

The match was interrupted for several minutes following this irruption.

BiH 09.21.2021

Vele Mostar - Borac match was interrupted in the 82 minute after local fans stormed the pitch, who were furious at the work of referee Sabrija Topalović.

After the game, Velez Mostar fans also attacked the car in which 3 referees were traveling and they burned it.

pic.twitter.com/SqEygY5cMf

- HooligansTV (@HooligansTV_eu) September 22, 2021

After the match the referee Sabrija Topalovic and her two assistants returned to Sarajevo.

It was then that the situation deteriorated dangerously.

Shortly after, their vehicle was intercepted in a tunnel by another car in which were four people, told AFP a police official.

“After damaging the car, they threw a burning torch at it.

An injured person was hospitalized in Jablanica ”, explained this policeman, adding that the suspects were still wanted.

The car, it burned completely according to a photo released by the local press.

The worst was narrowly avoided.

This kind of incident is rather rare in the Bosnian league, although referees are sometimes accused of corruption. At the end of 2020, two referees and a head of a second division refereeing commission were indicted for rigging matches for amounts ranging from 1,500 to 3,500 euros per match.