Czech football referee unsteady on his feet leaves match mid-game

In a Group B seventh-division match in the Pardubice Region, assistant referee Jan Saňák left the pitch in the 22nd minute and, after video of the incident spread online, resigned as chairman of the regional referees’ committee.

The footage shows the official on the touchline moving very unsteadily: his legs looked heavy and he had trouble with his balance, at times leaning backwards, at times swaying and barely keeping upright.

The official match report says Saňák had to be replaced in the 22nd minute because of an injury to his left ankle, and that this happened “without outside interference”. Home side Žamberk beat Lanškroun B 3:0.

The story did not end there. The videos spread across the internet, and it emerged that Saňák headed the referees’ committee of the Pardubice Regional Football Association. It is this post that he has now decided to give up. “With immediate effect”, the association said, Saňák resigned over his mistake in the Žamberk – Lanškroun B match. The executive committee accepted the resignation and is still dealing with the situation.

The association acknowledged the referee’s blunder but did not disclose details of the incident. So the question of whether alcohol was behind the official’s strange behaviour remains unanswered.

Around Prague, based on reporting by sport.cz