Pipe bomb explodes outside home of Cypriot referee

A pipe bomb damaged a car owned by the wife of a soccer referee in Cyprus, according to reports.

A pipe bomb damaged a car owned by the wife of a soccer referee in Cyprus, according to local police. 

The bomb reportedly was placed on the windshield of the car and caused slight damage to a neighboring home.

Reuters notes that referees on the island requested a one-week match boycott after a separate bomb attack outside the home of a referee's mother in January.

A referee official said on radio that he counted "five similar incidents" in less than a year.

From Reuters:

"All options are open, not excluding an abstention (from fixtures)" said Constantinos Skaboullis, secretary of the referee's association.

"I've counted five similar incidents in less than a year ... Unfortunately this has become a common occurrence and I'm worried that soon we could have a tragedy if this continues," he told state radio.

In November, professional soccer matches in Greece were suspended after a referees' committee official reportedly was targeted in a violent attack.

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