22 year old player sentenced after beating up 15 year old referee

A bizarre case out of Sweden where a 15-year-old referee was assaulted by a 22 year old player, who seemed to get off lightly during sentencing.

A strange case has been highlighted in Sweden this week after a 22-year-old was sentenced in court for an incident that happened after a game in the spring of 2023. According to the verdict, the player punched the young ref in the face and his him on the leg with his stick after the two argued. An older official at the game told the court the player stalked the young ref during the game, calling him "trash" and "useless." Then, after the final whistle, the player refused to shake hands with the 15-year-old, who is referred to as "Mario" due to a publication ban.




The court noted "Mario" is eligible to complete a district referee course, but doesn't want to even though it would allow him to officiate bigger matches and get paid more.

As for the punishment for the player, he was technically given a month in prison. However, he can avoid going behind bars at all if he completes 50 hours of community service in a set amount of time. The older referee told the court the player's team refused to punish him in any way, and because it was an unsanctioned game, the district referee association can't do anything about it.


A lack of officials is a common theme in hockey all over Canada and the US, and it's mainly due to incidents similar to this, involving coaches, fans, parents, etc.


Source: AftonBladet
15-year-old referee Mario punched in the face. The adult player was not suspended