A Utah soccer referee was punched in the face by a teenage player and slipped into a coma. He died Saturday night.
The Unified Police Department of Greater Salt Lake in Utah said that Ricardo Portillo, 46, was punched by a 17-year-old player on April 27 and had been in serious condition before his death Saturday night. ABC News reports that officials will decide if they will charge the teen or not this week.
Portillo was officiating a game at Eisenhower Junior High in Taylorsville, Utah when he called a foul on the teen. “He made a call against a player that he was unhappy with, and gave him a yellow card, so the 17-year-old turned and punched him in face,” Lt. Justin Hoyle told ABC News.
CBS News reports that family members traveled to Portillo’s home in Salt Lake City for a candlelight vigil. “He was a father, he was a friend, he was a grandfather, he left a whole family behind...They should think before they do something stupid,” his oldest daughter, Johana, said.
Johana told KUTV that his family actually asked him to stop refereeing games before, after he suffered from broken bones before because of aggressive players. But, “It was his passion,” she said.
James Yapias, who was the player’s coach, said that children need to start learning the effects of violence. “Talk to them about sportsmanship. Talk to them about respecting the referees,” he told KUTV.
The teen is currently being held at a juvenile detention facility and is charged with aggravated assault. If he is tried as an adult, he could face more serious charges.