Utah soccer referee dies after being punched by teen player

A longtime youth football official who was punched in the face by a teenaged player in a match in Utah has died, the Salt Lake Unified Police Department said.

The Unified Police Department said in a statement that Ricardo Portillo of Salt Lake City died Saturday night in hospital, where he had been receiving treatment since the incident in a match on April 27.

Police said the 17-year-old player, who was not named because he is a juvenile, punched Portillo once in the face after receiving a yellow card from the referee.

Portillo was first thought to have minor injuries, but was later found to have serious internal head injuries.

The boy was arrested on April 29 on charges of aggravated assault for serious bodily injury. He remains in a juvenile detention center and could face additional charges in the wake of Portillo's death, police said.