Footballers are often close to going over the edge in a game that's full of passion but are normally stopped from doing so by team-mates or their own common sense.This mechanism for preventing things from getting out of control failed last week when a player lost all sense of rationality and attacked a referee during a league match in Brazil.During a Campeonato Amazonense game between EC Iranduba and Sao Raimundo, Iranduba's midfielder Volante Derlan viciously attacked a referee after he had sent him off for a foul.Derlan was angered by the fact the referee had only dismissed him because of what the fourth official had said to him.Once he saw the red card he immediately lost it and pounced on the helpless official, punching him several times in the face and head.The attack didn't last long as the fourth official and two riot police came to the referee's aid.The officer's restrained the out-of-control player, who now faces a two-year ban from football after originally being placed on an automatic 30-day suspension for the attack.Watch the video: