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The wife of a football referee who was allegedly assaulted on the pitch by an amateur boxer reveals the incident ruined their family holiday – which was booked for the following day.
Khoder Yaghi, 45, was working as an assistant referee when he was reportedly assaulted by Adam Abdallah, 25, after a match between the Eagles and the Padstow Hornets at Padstow Park, Sydney’s southwest, at 10:30pm on Friday.
Footage showed Mr Yaghi being pulled to the ground and trying to shield his face from punches and kicks. The father-of-four was covered in blood and missing teeth by the time he was taken to Liverpool Hospital.
On Monday morning, his wife Fay Yaghi told Radio 2GB that her husband is still hooked up to machines in hospital awaiting surgery to reconstruct his jaw – which was broken in three places.
She told host Ben Fordham she couldn’t stop crying when she saw her husband briefly on Saturday night, but what made matters worse was the cancellation of their family holiday to Bali and Singapore.
Khoder and Fay Yaghi were supposed to go to Bali and Singapore with their four sons on Sunday, but had to cancel (pictured, Mr. Yaghi with three of his four children)
Adam Abdullah, 25 (pictured), is charged with wounding a person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and arguing over the alleged attack
The couple and their four young sons were due to fly out of Sydney Airport at 12:30am on Sunday, but “we couldn’t go because my husband was (allegedly) brutally beaten,” she said.
“We’ve been planning and booking this vacation for the past month and we had bags ready, packed and everything.”
“I can’t believe we have to cancel.”
Ms. Yaghi recalled that it was difficult to explain the alleged incident to her children because her three youngest sons were not old enough to fully understand the situation.
“I told them, ‘Daddy had a little accident playing football and he’s getting better,’” she said.
“My 14-year-old understands the condition his father is in… He also gets bombarded on social media by his friends and people he knows on Facebook.”
Khoder Yaghi was refereeing a game between Padstow Hornets and Greenacre Eagles at Padstow Park, Sydney’s southwest, on Friday night when the alleged attack took place
Ms Yaghi said the alleged attack on her husband was so brutal that he didn’t stop bleeding until Sunday.
“Football should be a place that is safe,” she said.
“It’s like a religion that everyone can understand – why should anyone be harmed? Is it my husband or someone else? Why?’
Despite his ordeal, Ms. Yaghi said he would never stop playing or refereeing.
“Nothing can stop him,” she said. “Football is in his blood. It is forever his passion.
From his hospital bed on Sunday, Mr. Yaghi told Nine News, “I thought I was going to die.”
“It hurts me more because (Mr. Abdullah) is from my community, he is from my religion, he is Lebanese like me,” he said.
“He (allegedly) jumped the fence and wanted to fight. I just asked him to leave. he wouldn’t go away’.
Mr Abdullah, who was banned from playing at the Greenacre club for two years due to on-field fighting, is said to have addressed Mr Yaghi after the final whistle.
However, Seven News reported that associates of Mr Abdullah claim he was first hit with the referee’s flag, leading to the alleged attack.
Photos uploaded to social media show Mr Abdullah’s face badly bruised.
It has emerged that Mr Abdullah played for the same South West Sydney club – the Greenacre Eagles – as Taha Sabbagh (pictured), who was shot at close range in March in front of his 12-year-old son in an alleged underworld hit
Mr Abdullah presented himself at Bankstown police station on Sunday where he was charged with wounding a person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and cause a riot.
He was denied bail and will appear in Bankstown District Court on Monday.
It has since emerged that Mr Abdullah played for the same South West Sydney club – the Greenacre Eagles – as Taha Sabbagh, who was shot at close range in March in front of his 12-year-old son in an alleged underworld hit.
Associates of Mr Abdullah (pictured with alleged injuries) claim he was hit first
Mr Abdullah, who was banned from playing at the Greenacre club for two years due to on-field fighting, is said to have addressed Mr Yaghi after the final whistle.
Horror footage shows Mr. Yaghi being pulled to the ground as he tries to cover his face to protect himself from punches and kicks
A crowd soon formed around the pair with bystanders trying to come to the aid of the referee.
Greenacre Eagles released a statement on Sunday saying it has chosen to withdraw its team from first-class MPL competition and is cooperating with law enforcement.
“As a result of the incident that occurred after the match, our club has taken the decision to withdraw the team from the competition for the remainder of the 2023 season,” it said.
“This serves as a reminder to everyone that violence will not be tolerated in our club.”
Mr Yaghi has had emergency surgery at Liverpool hospital in Sydney after his jaw was broken in three places
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