The police in Western Equatoria State are pursuing a suspect who reportedly shot and injured a football referee in the head during a match in Barboi Village in Mvolo County’s Kokori Payam on Sunday.
According to a family member, the referee is receiving treatment at a local hospital.
Major General Justin Waiwai Bringi, the state’s police commissioner, told Radio Tamazuj that the incident followed a dispute after the referee showed a player a yellow card and ordered him off the pitch. The player allegedly left the field, collected an AK-47 rifle and shot the referee in the head.
“There was a football match in one of the payams in Mvolo during which the referee showed a yellow card to one of the players and sent him off the field. The player went and picked up a gun and shot the referee in the head,” he said. “The player who shot the referee is still at large.”
Gen. Waiwai condemned the incident, saying football should promote peace, discipline and respect for the rules rather than violence. He urged members of the public to remain calm and cooperate with security authorities as efforts to apprehend the suspect continue.
Justin Roto, Deputy President of the Yambio Football Association, also condemned the shooting, describing it as a serious act of violence against a match official.
“I received a report from the Mundri Sub-Football Association that on Sunday at 4 p.m. an incident happened in Kokori Payam where one of our match officials was shot by a person who is yet to be identified,” he said. “It is the first time we have had a shooting of a match official with a live bullet. There is no room for violence in football, which is governed by its own laws.”
He called on the authorities to investigate the incident, arrest the suspect and ensure that justice is served.
He urged players, supporters and community members to respect match officials and promote peaceful conduct during football matches.
Meanwhile, Western Equatoria State Minister of Information and Communication Noah Philip Isah said authorities were still gathering information because the area was outside network coverage.
The referee’s identity, current medical condition, and the full circumstances surrounding the shooting had not been independently established by the time of publication.
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