Nicosia (Cyprus), Jan 21 (IANS): The Cyprus Football Federation (CFA) has postponed its domestic fixtures for a week after referees refused to officiate matches protesting violence targeted against them.

The CFA said Wednesday that all football matches for both its league championship and cup, that were scheduled between Jan 20 and Jan 26, would be played a week later following the referees' boycott, reports Xinhua.

The referees made the decision in protest after a bomb attack at the house of the mother of a referee in Limassol Monday.

The referee was criticised for his performance in a match involving a local team, following which his mother's home was attacked but she was unhurt in the bomb attack.

The referee himself was being protected by the police after a grenade was thrown at his house but failed to explode.

In October last year, the office of the referees association here was damaged by a makeshift explosive device.

Referees are currently at the centre of a police investigation following public allegations by a former referee that football club officials and members of the committee involved in appointing referees have been involved in fixing matches, mostly between low position teams.

FIFA, world football's governing body, had in the past submitted to the Cyprus Football Federation 17 files allegedly involving suspect football match results.