Nicosia, Jan 20: Football referees in Cyprus have decided to boycott all domestic matches for a week after an official’s mother’s home was bombed. The attack occurred after Thomas Mouskos gave a pelty and red–carded a player in the opening 22 minutes of a Cypriot first division match between Apollon and Othellos Jan 12, which ended 2–2.
The 60–year–old woman was unharmed by the bombing, reports bbc.com on Tuesday.
The Cyprus Football Association described Monday’s attack at the referee’s mother’s home in Limassol as “exceedingly cowardly”.
The referee’s own home was kept under police protection following threats over his performance during the match.
It is not the first time that he has faced the wrath of football hooligans. Last May a grede was thrown at Mouskos’s house but did not explode. It is the fourth incident in the last 12 months involving referees being targeted with explosives in the country. IANS