A player shamefully slapped a female referee in the face in South America, the video of which has gone viral on social media. The incident happened during the midweek match between Colombian teams Real Alianza Cataquera and Deportivo Quique, which was managed by Vanessa Ceballos. The player in the middle of the storm is Javier Boliva.
Javier Bolivar redcard incident
According to report by The Sun, the incident happened in the 66th minte of the match. Bolivar who was on the sidelines, was given his marching orders angrily strode towards Ceballos before she'd finished raising the red card and proceeded to get into her face. And as he turned away, he slapped her across the face with his right hand.
Ceballos reacted furiously to the assault, kicking out at the retreating Bolivar before being restrained. She tried her best to confront the disgraceful Bolivar but was stopped from doing so.
Players reacted furiously to Bolivar's actions, with one of the keepers angrily shoving him away from the scene.
Javier Bolivar issues apology
The report further states that the player denied intentionally slapping Ceballos, insisting he tried to pull the whistle from her mouth. Taking to Instagram, he wrote, “I recognise that my behaviour was disrespectful and inappropriate, unbecoming of an athlete and a human being.
"By foolishly trying to take the whistle out of the referee's mouth, I acted incorrectly, sending a negative message that should never have happened.I want to make it absolutely clear that at no time was there any physical aggression toward the referee.
"However, I understand that my gesture was offensive and portrayed her as contrary to the values of football and respect. Therefore, I humbly apologise to her, her family, the women, and everyone who was affected by what happened.
“I firmly reject any form of violence, especially against women. Women deserve all our respect, care, and admiration. My commitment is to work on my personal and athletic growth so as to never again repeat an act that violates anyone's dignity."
