A Salt Lake City soccer referee, 46-year-old Richard Portillo, was punched in the head by a 17-year-old goalkeeper after Portillo gave him a yellow card. Shortly after being punched, Portillo collapsed to the ground and was taken to a hospital in a coma. Portillo died of his injuries on Saturday, according to reports.
The teen, who remains unnamed because of his age, was taken into a juvenile detention center and charged with assault. Now that Portillo has died, additional charges are being considered according to Unified spokesman Justin Hoyal.
Witnesses to the incident have painted a picture of the events leading up to Portillo's assault and eventual death. The 17-year-old goalie allegedly pushed another player who was attempting to score, and was issued a yellow card, which serves as a warning for committing an especially flagrant foul. Two yellow cards equate an ejection from play. The player, said to be much bigger than Portillo, began arguing the call when he lost his temper and punched the referee in the face from close range.
Sources say Portillo seemed okay at first, but then got dizzy and asked for help standing. He then began vomiting blood which signaled a friend to call for an ambulance. When police arrived at the scene, the accused teen was gone while the injured Portillo was left "in a fetal position."
Members of Portillo's family told reporters that this is not the first time Portillo has been hurt by players who strongly disagreed with his calls. They had pleaded with him to give up refereeing, but he would not do so because he said he loved soccer too much. Family members said, "It was his passion. We could not tell him no."
No official cause of death has been released and an autopsy is planned, according to Hoyal. Mario Vazquez, the president of Liga Continental De Futbol, the league in which Portillo was refereeing, said, "We will miss him at the soccer fields. He loved the game and loved doing his job. Ricardo always had a great sense of humor and loved being in the service of others."
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