Colombian Football Federation Condemns Player's Assault on Referee Amid Calls for Stricter Protection for Officials

An unfortunate incident that occurred in one of the Colombian third division matches sparked widespread outrage after a player physically assaulted referee Vanessa Ceballos during the game.

The incident took place when referee Ceballos, who was officiating the match between Real Alianza Catacira and Deportivo Kiki, approached the bench to send off a player named Bolivar, who responded violently by slapping Vanessa Ceballos in a moment that shocked those present, leading to chaos in the stadium.

The referee's reaction was so intense that those present intervened to prevent her from retaliating against the assault. After a video of the incident spread widely on social media, the Colombian Football Federation quickly issued a statement condemning the incident "in the strongest terms," emphasizing its "rejection of all forms of violence, especially gender-based violence." The statement read: "No act of verbal or physical aggression against women should be tolerated or accepted in the sports field."

The incident highlighted a broader issue, as the newspaper "Marca" pointed out that it revealed the "ongoing problem of gender-based violence and disrespect for women in men's professional sports." According to the same report, there has been an "increase in calls in Colombia for the implementation and strengthening of safety mechanisms to protect referees, especially women who oversee men's football matches."

For his part, the offending player took to social media to apologize for the incident, but denied the accusation against him, insisting that he "tried to pull the whistle from her mouth" and did not slap her intentionally.