Weekend football fixtures in Portugal are under threat after it emerged that 73 of 76 officials have submitted a leave of absence.
A refereeing source told the Portuguese Lusa News Agency on Wednesday that the mass walk out was in protest against the "lack of due psychological conditions to referee matches," reports Xinhua news agency.
Portugal's leading football clubs have repeatedly made corruption, incompetence and bias accusations against referees this season.
The football officials association, comprising 22 referees, 44 linesmen and 10 trainees, threatened to boycott League Cup games in November.
That strike was averted after the Officiating Council of the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) intervened.
But the referees have become increasingly unhappy and seem disinclined to listen to the FPF a second time round.
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All first and second division (Liga I and Liga II) fixtures are thus in jeopardy, though FPF rules stipulate that matches must go ahead anyway.
In the absence of an assigned referee, the two teams are obliged by the league's regulations to agree on a third party official themselves.
--IANS
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