- A young referee suffered a concussion
- She was accidentally hit in the head by a soccer ball.
- Sandon Page has been sued following the incident
A soccer player has been charged for accidentally kicking a ball into the head of a teenage referee over the weekend.
East Perth forward Sandon Page and left-wing referee Muneerah Foster both suffered concussion during the club’s reserves match against the Demons on Saturday.
Video footage from the match showed the 22-year-old running towards an unguarded goal after a 50-metre penalty was awarded before aiming the ball at Foster’s head.
She was able to get up and leave the ground after the episode. Page visibly apologized and helped her.
However, he was reprimanded following an investigation by the party’s review panel and given an official warning.
Page’s club said it accepted and understood the league’s decision.
“We send our best wishes to Muneerah and wish her a speedy recovery,” a club spokesman said.
‘The incident was really strange, but we understand that referees need to be protected at all times. Incidental contact with referees often has MRP consequences.
Football star Sandon Page, 22, has been accused of shocking a female referee
Muneerah Foster was accidentally hit in the head by a ball on Saturday
‘Although Sandon had no intention of making contact with the kick, the incident resulted in the referee suffering a serious injury.
“He’s a very nice person and he showed a lot of care in following up after the game to see how she was doing.”
East Perth won the match by nine points and moved up to fifth in the reserve league standings.
Page joined from Subiaco in 2022 and has made eight league appearances for the club. He contributed 12 disposals and seven marks on Saturday.
Football fans will remember 18-year-old Foster after he made headlines when he became a goal referee at just 15 in 2021.
Foster, who is Muslim, has ambitions to referee at the highest level and shared her pride in representing women in the industry.
“I definitely liked the atmosphere. It was nice and welcoming,” Foster said in 2021.
“I didn’t want to play football, but this was something I could do on the weekends to earn money.”