A Swedish footballer has been accused of “deliberate provocation” and “unsportsmanlike behavior” after he let out a boisterous “oomph” during a match last Friday.
Adam Lindin Ljungkvist, who played left-back under the bottom-tier team Pershagen SK against Järna SK, was slapped with two yellow cards and then a red card after he “broke the wind.”
“I had a bad stomach, so I simply let go,” the 25-year-old told local media outlet Länstidningen Södertälje, which was cited by The Guardian. “Then I received two yellow cards and then red. Yes, I was shocked, it’s the strangest thing I have ever experienced in football.”
“I spoke to the referee afterwards, I was annoyed, but there were no bad words. I just said he was a buffoon,” he ranted to German newspaper Aftonbladet.
Kristoffer Linde, the rival team’s striker, confirmed that he heard the indecent wind eruption. He told local media, “I was standing a good distance away but I heard the fart loud and clear. It’s the strangest thing I’ve seen on a pitch, and I’ve been playing football since I was eight years old.”
The referee, Dany Kako, explained why he expelled the Swedish footballer during the game, saying he perceived it as a “deliberate provocation” and sensed that the player’s fart was “on purpose and inappropriate.” This was not the first time he kicked out a mischievous player. “Once there was a player who stood and peed next to the pitch. I showed him a yellow card, too,” Kako testified.
In an interview with BBC NewsBeat, Ljungkvist was amused with the outpouring attention he got after the bizarre incident. “I didn’t think they were going to, but today, the story is everywhere. I don’t get how a small fart can get so much attention,” he exclaimed.
Pershagen SK lost 6-2 to Järna SK. Gianna Francesca Catolico