Brazilian Player Attacks Female Ref After Being Sent Off

A few days ago, the Campeonato Pernambucano's first leg final gave the world a cute image when a police dog invaded the pitch. The pup ran into the field, played with a ball and melted hearts worldwide — a completely different situation to the horrific one we witnessed Saturday night in the second leg when a player from Clube Náutico tried to attack referee Deborah Cecilia after being sent off. 

Brazilian player attacks female referee

After a VAR revision, Náutico's midfielder Jean Carlos was shown the red card in the 21st-minute for elbowing Yuri Bigode from Retrô FC. The decision didn't sit well with the player who threw his whole body against Deborah Cecilia, arms wide open. 

The scene was so appalling that players from both teams ran to protect the ref and restrain Jean Carlos. Globo TV announcers were also in shock, saying things like "calm down, Jean Carlos" or "he is possessed."

Ensandecido após correta expulsão, Jean Carlos do Náutico parte pra cima da árbitra pic.twitter.com/yiICBLOXxZ

— Neto Souza (@zouzaneto) April 30, 2022

Once the game ended, Jean Carlos didn't hide from the public and tried to explain his aggressive behavior on the field. 

"When I saw the red card, yes, I was very upset," he said. "I lost my mind because I knew that I had not elbowed him (Bigode); I just moved my arm to remove his."

Then, Jean Carlos talked about his violent attitude towards Deborah Cecilia. 

"I never insulted her. When I went to her, I was trying to explain to her that I hadn't elbowed him, but I understand from the images it looked like I did something different," Jean Carlos recognized. "I've never laid a hand on a woman, and I never would. If Deborah ever thought that this could happen, I apologize to her, to all women, and to all fans who were watching or saw the news."

And look, he maybe didn't want to hit the ref, but throwing your body against another person in an unwanted manner is aggression anyway. So some sort of punishment has to be expected for Jean Carlos.

Finally, despite Jean Carlos' acts, Náutico managed to win the game in penalty kicks and obtained its second straight Pernambucano title.