Ref Loses Head (Literally)

1998 Sheffield Wednesday’s Italians striker Paulo Di Canio lightly shoved referee Paul Alcock in the first player/referee conflict the league had ever seen. Alcock fell pathetically to the ground; the football world erupted in shock and disgust and Di Canio was banned for a year. Meanwhile in the north of Brazil one week ago, an argument between a player and referee in a match in the remote town of Pio XII ended in a stabbing, quartering and decapitation. Brazilian police report that 30-year-old player Josenir dos Santos started arguing with referee Octavio da Silva before the confrontation became physical. Ref da Silva whipped out a knife and stabbed dos Santos after he refused to leave the field. Seems fair enough. At this point fans and friends of dos Santos stoned the ref and stormed on to the pitch, quartering da Silva before severing his head and sticking it on a stake in the middle of the field.

As it, is Brazil faces mounting pressure to show it is a safe place for tourists before they host the 2014 World Cup and Rio de Janeiro the Olympics in 2016. Maybe they should just move the World Cup here? We’re doing just fine right….