Adam Abdallah charged over alleged attack on referee Khoder Yaghi

A man allegedly behind a horrific attack on a soccer referee has been arrested, as his victim, whose jaw was shattered and teeth knocked out, says it won’t stop him officiating the game he loves.

A referee whose jaw was shattered and teeth knocked out by a disgruntled spectator at a soccer match says it won’t stop him officiating the game he loves.

Veteran referee Khoder Yaghi, 45, will undergo massive reconstructive surgery to his face on Monday after he was allegedly assaulted at the end of a men’s premier league game on Friday night.

The sickening alleged assault at the Greenacre Eagles and Padstow Hornets match was captured on video by shocked bystanders, and widely shared on social media.

The confronting vision shows players mingling at the end of the match, which Padstow won 5-1, before a verbal altercation breaks out between multiple people allegedly over refereeing decisions.

A spectator wearing a black singlet and shorts is then seen charging at Mr Yaghi and allegedly throwing multiple punches at him, forcing him to fall to the ground.

The suspended player can be seen repeatedly kicking and punching the referee. Picture: video screengrab

Referee Khodr Yaghi will have to undergo surgery after the sickening attack.

“Get off him, get off him,” onlookers can be heard screaming in chilling audio as they try to pull the spectator away.

Others can be heard yelling “Khoder’s been hit”.

Despite the sickening attack, Mr Yaghi vowed to return to the field and said this will not stop him from being involved in the game he’s been part of for more than 20 years.

“No f**king way will this stop me. Never. I’m going to referee ‘til I die,” he told The Daily Telegraph in a text message from hospital, while he’s unable to speak due to his injuries.

Police are investigating the incident that resulted in the referee’s jaw being broken. Picture: video screengrab

Mr Yaghi claimed a spectator began abusing the referees over decisions made during the game, which then got some players involved, and things got heated.

“This guy was already suspended (from playing in the Greenacre team). Referees didn’t do any mistakes. He just jumped the fence and started to fight with us,” Mr Yaghi said.

Mr Yaghi’s wife Fay supported his determination to keep refereeing when his condition allows.

Referee Khodr Yaghi jaw was broken in the attack. Picture: video screengrab

Three of his teeth were also knocked out.

“He was referee-of-the-year for two years...This won’t stop him, despite the (alleged) cowardly attack,” Mrs Yaghi said.

Mr Yaghi was rushed to Liverpool Hospital after the alleged assault where X-rays showed multiple fractures to his jaw and three missing teeth.

“He’s having an operation to reconstruct his jaw (on Monday),” Mrs Yaghi said. “He was in intensive care and they’ve only just stopped the bleeding.”

NSW Police arrested Greenacre player and amateur boxer Adam Abdallah, 25, on Sunday afternoon.

Abdallah outside Bankstown police station with high profile barrister Talal Krayem, who is legally representing him.

Abdallah was seen walking into the police station about 3pm, along with high profile barrister Talal Krayem, who is legally representing him.

He was later charged with wound person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and affray. He was refused bail and will appear at Bankstown Local Court on Monday.

Greenacre Eagles condemned the violence and released a statement saying it had chosen to withdraw its team from the first-grade competition.

“As a result of the incident that occurred following the conclusion of the match, our club has made the decision to withdraw the team from the competition for the remainder of the 2023 season,” the statement said.

The Greenacre Eagles Football Club’s statement.

“This serves as a reminder to all that violence will not be tolerated at our club.”

The club refused to comment on why Abdallah was currently suspended from playing, but The Daily Telegraph understands it was due to an unrelated incident at a game several weeks ago.

Football NSW said it was aware of the incident and would take whatever action was necessary to stamp out violence at games.

“Football NSW has zero tolerance for any anti-social behaviour from any of its participants at any time and will be providing ongoing assistance and support to the Bankstown Football Association on this matter over the ensuing weeks,” the statement said.

A spokesman for the Padstow Hornets said it’s priority was supporting the club’s players and members who witnessed the alleged attack.

“We don’t want to say a lot more, we weren’t involved...we are assisting the police in whatever way we can,” the spokesman said. 

Originally published as Adam Abdallah charged over alleged attack on referee Khoder Yaghi