46 Year Old Soccer Referee Ricardo Portillo of Salt Lake City, UT Who was Punched in Head by Teenage Player During a Game Has Died

Just senseless … Folks, its just a game and now this teenager’s life is over as he knows it and a 46 year old man reffing a game is dead.

Ricardo Portillo, the 46 year old soccer referee from Salt Lake City, UT who was punched in the head by a teenage player during a game after he had called a penalty on, has died.  Portillo called a penalty on the teenage giving him a yellow card. The unnamed teenager then struck Portillo in the side of the head whereas the 46 year old man slipped into a coma and suffered from swelling in his brain.  The teen, whose name hasn’t been released because of his age, was booked into juvenile detention on suspicion of aggravated assault. Look for that to get escalated to murder. Who does this? Punching a referee? So much for respecting authority. Sadly, Ricardo Portillo’s daughters had previously begged him to stop refereeing in a soccer league because of the growing risk of violence from angry players.  Unbelievable. This 17 year old punk should be tried as an adult for murder and put away forever.

Ricardo Portillo of Salt Lake City passed away at the hospital, where he was being treated following the assault last weekend, Unified police spokesman Justin Hoyal said Saturday night.

Police have accused a 17-year-old player in a recreational soccer league of punching Portillo after the man called a foul on him and issued him a yellow card.

“The suspect was close to Portillo and punched him once in the face as a result of the call,” Hoyal said in a press release.

The teen, whose name hasn’t been released because of his age, has been booked into juvenile detention on suspicion of aggravated assault.

Hoyal said authorities will consider additional charges since Portillo has died.

He said an autopsy is planned. No cause of death was released.

UPDATE I: Accounts from a police report, Portillo’s daughter and others offer further detail what occurred.

The teenager was playing goalie during a game at Eisenhower Junior High School in Taylorsville when Portillo issued him a yellow card for pushing an opposing forward trying to score. In soccer, a yellow card is given as a warning to a player for an egregious violation of the rules. Two yellow cards lead to a red card and expulsion from the game.

The teenager, quite a bit heavier than Portillo, began arguing with the referee, then punched him in the face. Portillo seemed fine at first, then asked to be held because he felt dizzy. He sat down and started vomiting blood, triggering his friend to call an ambulance.

When police arrived around noon, the teenager was gone and Portillo was laying on the ground in the fetal position. Through translators, Portillo told emergency workers that his face and back hurt and he felt nauseous. He had no visible injuries and remained conscious. He was considered to be in fair condition when they took him to the Intermountain Medical Center.

But when Portillo arrived to the hospital, he slipped into a coma with swelling in his brain. Johana Portillo called detectives to let them know his condition had worsened.

2 Responses to “46 Year Old Soccer Referee Ricardo Portillo of Salt Lake City, UT Who was Punched in Head by Teenage Player During a Game Has Died”

1. Rusty Bridges on May 6th, 2013 10:33 am

   This is BS because everybody knows that a 17 year old cannot hurt a full grown man, just ask Trevon Martin advocates

2. katts on May 6th, 2013 7:50 pm

   And their teenage brains haven’t completely formed so they don’t know right from wrong.

   Unless of course it’s a heroic act – then their teenage brains are completed.

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