Serbian Soccer Fans Barrage Linesman With Snowballs, Force Stoppage Of Play

Supporters of Serbian SuperLiga club Partizan Belgrade decided to show their contempt for a sideline official on Saturday with an onslaught of snowballs the instant he made his way to an acceptable range. The referee put a temporary stop the match as the snowballs forced the linesman onto the field of play.

It’s not clear why the supporters all turned on that linesman in particular, but it’s safe to say that they had plenty of reason to have some sort of frustration built up at that point of the game. Partizan defender Slobodan Urosevic saw red late in the first half, leaving his team with just 10 men for the remaining 45 minutes. The club sits in third place—12 points behind their league-leading rivals, Red Star Belgrade—and they were held to a goalless draw against a mid-table squad in Macva Sabac.

I don’t personally condone seeking physical retribution against a match official when things aren’t going your way, but I do condone accurate snowball throws—something these fans clearly accomplished given how many headshots they were able to pull off.