Reuters. Utah teen punches and kills referee over yellow card

A Utah soccer referee who suffered head injuries when he was punched in the face by a teenage player has died, authorities said Saturday night (May 4).

The 17-year-old player struck the referee, Ricardo Portillo, in the head on April 27 after Portillo penalized the teenager during a football game in a Salt Lake City suburb, according to the Unified Police of Greater Salt Lake.

Portillo, 46, died late on Saturday at an area hospital, the police said in a statement posted on the department's website.
The player, whose name was withheld because he is a juvenile, was upset because Portillo had issued him a yellow card, police said.
Portillo was taken by ambulance to a hospital to be treated for what was initially believed to be minor injuries. It was later determined that Portillo had suffered more substantial head trauma.

He lapsed into a coma and remained in critical condition at Intermountain Medical Center in a Salt Lake City suburb until he died at about 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, police said.

The teenager, also of Salt Lake City, was arrested two days after the incident and booked on a charge of aggravated assault, police said. He is being held at a juvenile detention center.

He faces formal charges this week, when additional charges will be weighed in connection with the referee's death, police said.