Bergonzi has since gone into hiding with police protection.

"A dangerous incident happened," Italian Referees' Association head Cesare Gussoni said. "A group of people encircled someone they thought was a referee, they tried to abduct him and continually punch him. The only thing was he just looked like the referee."

"He was a bank manager, poor thing, and he managed to reveal this at the end to save himself from more blows. On the advice of the police, the referee [Bergonzi] was forced to live under protection and went to another province for two weeks."