- A teenage referee was attacked in a final match
- Warwick Williams pushed him
- Williams had served a prison sentence for assault.
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A football star has landed himself in trouble after knocking a young NTFL referee to the ground in shocking scenes.
Warwick Williams was ejected from Sunday’s NTFL grand final after assaulting the young referee, while also appearing to “punch” an opposing player.
Williams has been in his first season back in the league after spending a year in prison for an assault conviction. He plays on the Northern Territory PINT football team.
Video footage from the game shows an explosion midway through the fourth quarter of the elimination final between PINT and Southern Districts.
Williams enters the fray midway through the altercation and appears to punch two opponents, with the pair falling to the ground.
A teenage referee was assaulted during a knockout final match in the Northern Territory
He then grabs the young referee, who is trying to stop the commotion, before throwing him to the ground.
The head referee placed Williams under report and sent him off the field, preventing him from playing for the rest of the match.
The party’s review panel is expected to include Williams in its charge sheet on Tuesday.
Williams was given a three-year and four-month prison sentence in 2022 after breaking a man’s jaw during an altercation at a Darwin party.
He spent 14 months behind bars before being released last year.
“Referees are an integral part of our game and, like everyone, have the right to feel safe and valued in football,” read a statement from the AFLNT after the incident.
“While we recognize that this incident must follow due process, we wish to reinforce that the AFLNT strongly condemns abuse of any kind in our game and has zero tolerance when it comes to referee abuse in any form.”