Italian referee Davide Massa was brought in to officiate the tense Athens Derby between Olympiacos and AEK Athens, which ended in a riot and the official claiming he was attacked in the tunnel with a kick to the crotch.
The atmosphere around the play-offs for the Superleague title was so toxic that the Greek authorities drafted in an Italian referee to ensure impartiality.
AEK won the match 3-1 and Olympiacos were furious with four of Massa’s calls, releasing a statement insisting “even the blind can see what is happening in Greek football.”
At Massa’s final whistle, fans invaded the pitch and riot police had to launch tear gas.
Now Massa has written his referee’s report and his allegations are somewhat shocking, even for the Greek Superleague.
He wrote that objects including bottles were thrown onto the pitch during stoppages and he called an early end to the seven minutes of stoppages when home fans were starting to invade the pitch.
“Entering the tunnel there were many people there and I felt a blow to my genitals, without being able to tell who had done it.”