Player tries to strangle referee

SANTIAGO: While many footballers have thought about it, few have actually attempted it — but Paraguayan defender Jose Pedroso went that extra step at the weekend when he actually tried to strangle the referee.

The incident, posted on YouTube, occurred during a Chilean Second Division match between Pedroso’s team Rangers and Deportes Concepcion.

It took place just after the referee had ordered a penalty against Rangers to be retaken three times. Pedroso was penalised for a violent challenge on an opponent that was enough to earn him his second yellow card and an early dismissal.

But instead of walking back to the dressing room for a lonely early bath, Pedroso saw a different kind of red, grabbing referee Marcelo Miranda by the throat.

He was quickly separated from the man in black by his teammates before launching
a second desperate attack on Miranda. Finally he was escorted out of the ground by the police.

A few minutes earlier, Miranda had upset the Rangers players by ordering a penalty to be retaken three times as they trailed 1-0.

According to the local press, Pedroso has decided to quit Rangers and return to Paraguay.