A footballer was left with seven broken teeth after he was allegedly punched in the face by an assistant manager at half-time.
The incident happened in the tunnel during the match between IJsselmeervogels and GVVV in Spakenburg, Netherlands, on Saturday (12 September).
Although GVVV were clearly the weaker side, they were awarded a penalty in the 28th minute and scored from it to make it 0-1, causing frustration on the pitch and in the stands.
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To everyone’s surprise, GVVV later scored a second goal to make it 0-2, after which tensions on and around the pitch boiled over.
The final straw was a challenge for the ball between two players in front of the home team’s dugout.
Both players fell to the ground, got back up and then pushed each other.
After the fingertips of an IJsselmeervogels player narrowly passed the face of a GVVV player, the latter fell to the ground again.
The commentator said at the time: “What kind of acting is this? He’s pretending he’s been hit in the face.”
The referee did not intervene, and the players headed into the tunnel where a fight broke out.
GVVV assistant manager Jhon van Beukering allegedly punched IJsselmeervogels defender Quiermo Dumay so hard that the 25-year-old ended up on the floor, covered in blood and with seven broken teeth.
Police had to intervene to restore order, while Dumay was taken to A&E, where he required five stitches, as reported by Need To Know.
His manager, Willem Leushuis, recalled: “He hit him like a street fighter. It was very frightening.”
GVVV – who play in the Tweede Divisie, the highest national level of amateur football – swiftly sacked Jhon and his brother Dennis, the club’s head coach.
Jhon later explained to local media: “There was pushing and shoving involving 20 to 30 people.
“I was hit two or three times on the head and didn’t see who was hitting me.
“Then you have two options: walk away or defend yourself. So I lashed out too.
“I don’t know whether I hit their player; I hope to see that in the video footage. Maybe I hit Quiermo in the mouth; I don’t know.”
Dumay said: “This was madness. I’m going to report it to the police.
“I have visible damage that needs to be repaired. Someone needs to be held liable for that. From what I understand, it could take a year before my teeth are completely restored.”
GVVV chairman Hans Schinkel said: “Van Beukering makes light of it, but we see the incident as aggravated assault.
“In our view, this is much more than, in his words, a ‘little slap’. We do not want to be associated with this kind of violence.
“I feel terrible for the IJsselmeervogels player. Saying things verbally and pushing players away is one thing, but this goes much further. This is completely disproportionate.”
The match was abandoned, and the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) must decide whether it will be resumed at a later date.
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