Spanish football fan arrested on charges of animal cruelty after throwing dog at referee

Man snatched dog from supporter's arms throwing it from a height of 6'5 ft

Animal thrown from a height of 6'5 ft (YOUTUBE)

Spanish police have arrested an angry football fan on charges of animal cruelty after he threw a dog at a referee.

The incident took place during a local football match between Comarca del Marmol and La Cañada Atletico teams at the Juan Jose Rodriguez stadium in Almeria, south east Spain.

The man grabbed the dog from the arms of a fellow supporter and catapulted the animal into the air aiming at the referee as he approached the benches at the end of the game on Sunday.

The referee was left shaken as the injured animal crawled in pain on the pitch.

Police were called in after a fight broke between the dog's owner and the unnamed hooligan.

Warning: contains upsetting footage