Referee Critically Injured By Punch In Soccer Game

A referee was critically injured after he was punched in the face during a soccer game in Utah on the weekend.

A 17-year-old, who cannot be named because he is a minor, reacted violently to a call he did not agree with during the game at Eisenhower Junior High in Taylorsville, Utah.

The referee showed the player a yellow card for a foul and was subsequently punched in the face by the teenager, who was arrested for aggravated assault.

The 46-year-old ref was visibly shaken by the blow but seemed to have only suffered minor injuries from the incident, however, he was taken to a hospital where he was diagnosed with severe internal injuries.

The teenager could face more serious charges if the referee’s condition takes a turn for the worse. The player already left the game when the police arrived and he was detained on Monday.

Police Lt. Justin Hoyal revealed that there was no argument before the incident took place, saying, “it was almost an instinctive reaction.”

Hoyal also stated that the player was bigger than the referee but refused to go into specific details about the height and weight of both men.

The injured man does not appear to be a licensed referee and the match was not affiliated with the Utah Youth Soccer association, according to the league’s CEO Andrew Hiatt, who was nonetheless disappointed with the player’s reaction.

“To see something like this is not what we’re looking for,” he said. It’s horrible. Hopefully we can use this as a teaching moment to continue to push sportsmanship.”

The name of the referee who was critically injured in the attack has not been released and his family has denied multiple media requests, while the teenager is currently being held in the Salt Lake City Juvenile Detention Center.