VIDEO: Soccer referee carries a gun during a match to defend himself

Gulf Today Report

In a shocking scene witnessed in a football match in Honduras, the referee had a firearm to defend himself and push away players and fans who were contesting his decisions and wanted to get in touch with him, according to local media reports.

The video clip that has gone viral on social networking sites showed a number of fans descending to the playground after the end of a football match between two local teams in Honduras.

Suddenly sound of gunfire was heard.

The shooter was the referee of the match, as the cameras spotted him walking while holding a firearm.

Media reports stated that the match referee had no choice but to pull his firearm to quell the protest attempts, showing the weapon and exploding some warning shots on the ground.

The incident took place in La Jigua, Copán, in western Honduras.

The local TV channel “Televicentro”, reported that the referee was defending himself, as he saw the fans of the beaten team descended on the playground.

He fired his weapon towards the ground to disperse the team's fans, the TV channel added.

This incident joins a similar incident that occurred a week ago in Mexico, where gunmen came to a regional party and killed 3 people on a field with a large presence of spectators.

Honduras suffers from stifling economic and social crises, as well as a system mired in corruption, which has led to rampant violence in the country and organised gang crimes.