Brazilian soccer referee beheaded by angry fans who put his head on a stake after he stabbed player

The match took place June 30 in Maranhao, Brazil

Referee Octavio da Silva Catanhede Jordan, 20, fatally stabbed a player

Josenir dos Santos Abreu, 30, started a fight after a disagreement



Fans stormed the field to quarter, behead and place Silva's head on a stake

Police have arrested one man so far in relation to the crime, and are looking for at least two others

Brazilian police have detained one man and were seeking two others in the killing of a referee who was gruesomely quartered and beheaded after fatally stabbing a player on the field during a match.

Officer Valter Costa, who was heading the investigation into the June 30 slayings, said police have detained Luis Moraes Souza, 27, who is suspected of pummeling the referee over the head and smashing a bottle of cachaca sugarcane rum onto his face.



Souza's brother, Francisco, is among the two still being sought, Costa said.



Beheaded: 20-year-old soccer referee Octavio da Silva Catanhede Jordan was quartered and beheaded after fatally stabbing a player during a match last Sunday

Perpetrators: Police in Brazil have already arrested one man suspected of beheading the referee, but are still look for two others associated with the act

Fatally stabbed: Josenir dos Santos Abreu died on the way to the ambulance after being supposedly stabbed by referee Catanhede Jordan

The match took place June 30 at Pius XII stadium in Maranhao, northeastern Brazil.

The slayings began after the 20-year-old referee, Otavio Jordao da Silva, expelled player Josemir Santos Abreu, 31, from an amateur match in the small town of Centro do Meio, in the northern state of Maranhao.



Angered by the expulsion, Abreu threw Silva to the ground. As he rose, Silva pulled a knife and stabbed Abreu in the chest, Costa said, and the player died on the way to the hospital.



Players and spectators then rushed Silva, tying him up by his arms and legs while Souza hit him over the head with a spike and then broke the bottle on his face. One of the suspects being sought, a man nicknamed 'Pirolo,' then took the knife that had been used to stab Abreu and stabbed the referee in the neck, said Costa.



It was not immediately clear why Silva had been carrying the knife in the first place.



Souza's brother Francisco then used a sickle to cut off Silva's arms, legs and head, which he placed on a spike in the middle of the field, Costa said. He added that Francisco may have been on drugs at the time.



The mob showed no mercy as they quartered and decapitated the referee and then placed his head on a stake.

Arrested: Police in Maranhao have already brought into custody Luis Moraes Souza in relation to the beheading, but are on the lookout for two other men

Costa said violence was unusual in Centro de Meio, a remote rural community with little crime. He said those involved in the slayings were all from neighboring towns.



While violent clashes between rival fans is common in Brazil, the brutality of the killings in Centro de Meio sent shockwaves through Brazil, which last month played host to the Confederations Cup and is gearing up to host next year's World Cup soccer tournament.



Paulo Storani, a professor and security expert who spent three decades in Rio's police forces, called the slayings 'an isolated incident' and said they don't reflect on Brazil's ability to ensure security at during the World Cup.



'It's something that's completely out of the ordinary which took place in an isolated area of the poorest state in the country, an area where violence is very widespread,' said Storani. 'While it's true we are used to soccer violence in Brazil, this is completely off the charts of what we usually see.'

A video shows the damage the mob did to Catanhede Jordan , but it is exceptionally graphic.

Valter Costa, police chief of Santa Ines, released a statement about the investigation.

