Malaysian officials are investigating a soccer referee who allegedly retrieved a gun from his car and fired warning shots into the air after an ejection incited mobbing from the offending player's teammates.

The referee, who was also a policeman, ran to his patrol car to get his gun after players mobbed him for showing the red-card to one of them, the New Straits Times said.

"We are investigating as to whether the policeman was justified in taking out his firearm and discharging it, and also why he had it with him during the match," it quoted Hussin Ismail, police chief in the southern Johor state, as saying.

Really?  This is worth investigating in Malaysia?  Shouldn't the more pressing issue be, "Why aren't we arming more of our referees?"  Especially in third-world countries.  Malaysian police already have enough problems, like figuring out which starving children in the streets can fetch the best prices in the black market sex trade.