The Spanish football community has been shaken by a brutal on-field assault on a referee and the extraordinary initial decision by the aggressor’s club to stand by their player.

The incident occurred in a regional match in Spain’s eighth division, with the score tied at 2-2 in the 77th minute. Referee José Antonio Berdasco awarded a penalty to UD Llanera B, a decision that triggered a shocking reaction from CD San Luis player José Álvarez Esteban.

According to official reports, Álvarez struck Berdasco on the head, knocking the referee to the ground before kicking him while he was down. The match official was left needing medical attention, and Álvarez was immediately shown a straight red card.

Controversy deepened after the final whistle when CD San Luis released a statement refusing to condemn the attack. The club claimed the aggression had been provoked by what it described as refereeing decisions that went against them, and announced it would support Álvarez and would not suspend him.

The Spanish Referees’ Technical Committee (CTA) reacted with fury, issuing a strong condemnation of both the assault and the club’s stance. In its statement, the CTA called the attack “unacceptable” and criticised CD San Luis for justifying violence instead of defending the integrity of the game. The committee expressed full support for Berdasco and offered him assistance.

The Asturias Football Federation also intervened, denouncing CD San Luis for what it described as an attempt to legitimise violence against match officials. The federation said it was appalled that one of its member clubs would publicly applaud a violent act, stressing that such behaviour contradicts the ethics and values it is supposed to uphold.

Amid mounting pressure and widespread condemnation, CD San Luis reversed course hours later. In a second statement, the club formally condemned the player’s actions and announced internal consequences.

The club revealed that its president, José Luis Blanco Antón, had dismissed general secretary Alejandro Blanco Gonzalez with immediate effect, citing the seriousness of the earlier remarks defending the aggression. Blanco Gonzalez, who authored the initial statement, is the president’s son.

The case has reignited debate in Spanish football over the protection of referees at all levels and the responsibility of clubs to set clear standards against violence on and off the pitch.