Police: Utah soccer referee punched by player dies

Yahoo News ^ | May 5, 2013 | AP

[Uncle Chip]

Ricardo Portillo, 46, of Salt Lake City passed away at the hospital, where he was being treated following an assault, Unified police spokesman Justin Hoyal said.

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.

[zeestephen]

Error Correction.....

Chamber of Commerce.

Not, Chamber of Congress.

Although, when it comes to Amnesty, what is the difference?

[catnipman]

“years ago my brother in law was ragging my a$$ and i was gonna go kick his a$$. reason set in and the thought i has was i would start the fight and during it he would have a heart attack and die, making me liable.

i stopped my self and left...two days later the guy had a heart attack”

1. Truly awesome prescient intuition at work.

2. You listened.

[dfwgator]

This was a HISPANIC recreational soccer league.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

This would typically be involuntary manslaughter. However, there are so many variables that this could mean from 3-20 years in prison, likely half that with parole.

[wizkid]

Thank you both for your insightful comments.

As a parent of two children who play soccer, it is sad to see how often the game strays from its original intentions. Historically, soccer was designed to not only to encourage fitness but, more importantly, to develop desirable qualities of character such as self-discipline, responsibility and a sense of justice. In fact, the 12 Laws of the game, particularly Law 12 regarding Fouls and Misconduct, are meant to instill these admiral qualities of character when taken to heart.

Law 12 – Fouls and Misconduct

Soccer Ethics & Sportsmanship

As you both point out, too often the tone is poisoned at the top with the parents:

10 Types of Sports Parents

...and the coaches, who foster a win at all costs attitude...

...and the referees who do not set a hard line at the beginning of games and let things slide out of control.

“The Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton”- apocryphal quote attributed to Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington

The saddest thing to me is the fact that fair play can usually be best learned by the kids themselves on their own without parents, coaches or referees; but we are denying our children this opportunity:

NYT -School Recess Improves Behavior

Christian Science Monitor - Recess backlash: Parents say it pays to play

[SeminoleCounty]

I prefer “Collective of Communists” when now describing the Chamber of Commerce...same thing....

As for Utah... I do know Jon Huntsman was very pro-Illegal, and while governor vetoed a bill stopping in state tuition for illegal aliens

Wonder how that league used a non-English speaking ref...unless it was all no-Gringo league

[dfwgator]

unless it was all no-Gringo league

Which it is.

[catnipman]

can’t find a pic of the perp. guess we’ll have to wait for the uk dailymail to tell us what REALLY happened.

[fieldmarshaldj]

RIP.

[Impy]

Horrible.

What’s really awful is we was attacked several times before and his family begged him to quit.

Thug players.