Referee breaks players nose during Dutch match

In what would certainly be a red card offence, a referee in the Netherlands has inadvertently broken a player's nose during a match with a misplaced elbow.

The incident occurred during the latter stages of a lower-league clash between Barendrecht and Scheveningen, when whistleblower Wim Bronsvoort denied calls for a free kick by extending both arms out to his sides.

Unfortunately, he didn't spot Barendrecht's Mitchell van Gastel behind him, with the midfielder running straight into the official's elbow.

The accidental 'clothesline' from Bronsvoort left Van Gastel strewn on the pitch, clutching his face, before he was stretchered off with a broken nose.

Bronsvoort, meanwhile, managed to escape a red card - from himself - and remained on the pitch to officiate the rest of the 1-1 draw.