One of the most bizarre and brutal sporting incidents since medieval times took place in a Brazilian amateur football match last week in the small town of Pio XII, as a referee was quartered and beheaded by spectators after stabbing one of the players. According to reports, referee Otavio Jordao da Silva (pictured above) was involved in an altercation with Josenir dos Santos Abreu as they argued over one of his decisions. The 20-year-old apparently carries a knife during matches and stabbed Abreu in front of a sizable crowd.
The crowd included Abreu's friends and relatives and they stormed the pitch to attack da Silva. He was then beaten,stoned,tied up and quartered. The angry mob then placed the referee's severed head on a stake in the middle of the pitch. Meanwhile, Abreu's wounds proved fatal as he died on his way to hospital. One man, Luiz Moraes de Souza, 27, has been arrested over the incident with police still searching for two more suspects.
(H/T Dirty Tackle) and (The Guardian)
