A game in Colombia between Independiente Medellin and Atletico Nacional saw Uruguayan midfielder Pablo Ceppelini hit by a knife thrown from the stands on Monday.
The derby game between the two Medellin sides, dubbed El Clasico Paisa, was 2-2 in the 92nd minute of the game when Ceppelini ran over to take a corner for Atletico Nacional at the Atanasio Girardot Stadium.
He fell down clutching his head just moments later, though, after being hit in the head by an object, which later transpired to be a knife. The assistant referee, stood just yards away, managed to get medical attention to Ceppelini almost immediately, with the referee stopping the match for a few minutes.
Fortunately, Ceppelini escaped relatively unscathed, even despite the many objects that continued to land in his direction as he lay on the floor.
“I have a bump and a little bit of blood,” the 32-year-old said after the game. “It hurts a bit, but it wasn’t serious enough for stitches.
“But hey, don’t worry, the truth is that it’s a football thing and I’m used to it, I think they were left with the desire to win.
“I didn’t see it (the object they hit him with) , when I got here to the dressing room they told me it was a knife, when I lowered my head I saw a pile of coins, bottles, everything. But these are football things that remain there, I leave it to Dimayor [Colombian football organisation] and the authorities to take charge.”
The decision to restart the match, however, clearly irked Ceppelini, who didn’t understand why the referee wouldn’t abandon the game after such ugly scenes.
“We know that the referee Wilmar Roldan is very senior, we thought he was going to suspend the match, that measures were going to be taken,” he added.
The result means that Ceppelini’s Atletico Nacional sit 13th in the Colombian Apertura, while their rivals are higher up in eighth.
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