A 15-year-old youth beat up a 72-year-old referee during a football game in the village of Schipborg earlier this week, police in the eastern province of Drenthe reported on Friday.

The man was taken to hospital in Groningen with several broken bones in his face and underwent an operation on Thursday.
The youth attacked the referee after being reprimanded for a foul during a friendly match between the ZC Zuidlaren and Groningen’s Lycurgus junior teams on Wednesday evening. Police said the identity of the youth is known and he would be arrested as soon as possible.