Trying to make a referee eat his whistle will get you banned

Footballers have attacked referees in many ways -- both physically and verbally -- but few have ever attempted to make the ref literally choke on the whistle that sparked the player's ire in the first place. But in Italy, one man attempted to do just that.

From the AFP:

An amateur footballer in Italy has been given a 20-month ban for trying to force a whistle down a referee's throat after he was sent off.

Andrea Biondi was dismissed by the referee in his Florence-based team Albereta 72's 2-2 draw at Sancat.

After being sent off for insulting the referee he grabbed the back of his head and tried to push the whistle into his mouth, the Ansa news agency reported.

Biondi continued to insult and threaten the referee as he left the field, the agency added.

Well, now we know that referee whistles have strings attached to them not only to make them easier to hold, but easier to pull out of your throat, as well.

What would posses him to even think of doing this as a way to get back at the ref? Did his parents do the same thing with the vegetables he wouldn't eat as a child? Assuming he has not stopped insulting and threatening that referee, these are the questions I would like to ask him.

Photo: Reuters