[bbfan1991]

A Czech football match was abandoned after it was taken charge of by a drunk referee.

According to Lidove Noviny newspaper, the official had arrived merry following his birthday party.

During the game, the referee sent off two players for seemingly no reason, before falling over on a number of occasions.

"His breath smelt like a brewery and he didn't hide the fact that he had been celebrating a birthday," Karel Dusek, an executive from the Jestrabi Lhota club, said.

"There's no rule which bans a drunk referee from taking charge of a match. If we had refused to continue to play, we could have been sanctioned."

The Czech football authority decided to postpone the match. The referee faces a potential 12-month suspension.