PIRAEUS, November 14, 2014 (AFP) – Retired Scottish referee Hugh Dallas has received death threats since being appointed president of the Greek football federation’s Central Committee of Referees this year, it was revealed on Friday.

“I saw Hugh Dallas a short while ago and he is alarmed. He has received threats. He expressed concern over whether to continue in the post,” federation president Giorgos Sarris told Greek television before Greece’s Euro 2016 qualifier against the Faroe Islands at Karaiskakis Stadium.

Sarris was commenting about the decision by the federation on Friday not to appoint referees for professional matches in protest at “a murderous attack” against a top ranking official.

The federation was to nominate referees for the Super League and the second division Football League on Monday for next weekend matches but instead called for “immediate action to protect those involved, in any capacity, in Greek football.”

An extraordinary meeting of the federation board of directors decided unanimously to take the action after Friday’s attack by two unknown people on vice president of the federation’s Central Committee of Referees, Christoforos Zografou, outside his home.

The decision most likely means the postponement of matches in the top two divisions for the coming weekend.

Zografou sustained head and arm injuries during the attack and was taken to an Athens hospital in serious condition.

This was the third attack against a referee in the last two years in the country.

“This was the fifth attempt at murdering a football official of late. The blows on Zografou were many and serious. It’s time for all those responsible for football to take action to stop this war so we do not mourn more victims,” Sarris added.