A Soccer Player Hit Referee So Hard, He Had To Run From The Law
Injuries while playing football or soccer are quite common. Sometimes, they can happen even while sitting in the trench. But a referee was recently injured in such a bad manner; he is now in critical care. But what is even more surprising is the fact that the cause of his injury is a player.
A Detroit-area soccer player is facing a felony assault charge for allegedly punching a referee during an adult-league match. Apparently the player hit the referee so hard, he was critically injured and had to be whisked away to a hospital where he is currently undergoing treatment.
Baseel Abdul-Amir Saad, the soccer player-in-question, was arraigned Monday in Livonia District Court a charge of assault with intent to do great bodily harm. A bond is set at $50,000 and a probable cause hearing has been set for 10th June. However, the case should speed-up as the man has turned himself in.
According to locals, Saad punched the unnamed referee in the head. Though heated battles with the referee are quite common in soccer, this one quickly turned ugly. Apparently the spat arose after the referee indicated that he will eject he 36-year-old Dearborn resident from the game. Enraged, Saad allegedly hit him in the throat, which caused the referee to keel over, reported My Fox Detroit.
Livonia police Lt. Tom Goralski, who responded to the call after emergency personnel had already reached the spot, confirmed that Saad wasn’t on the field, but later confirmed that the accused had surrendered yesterday. The incident happened during a game on Sunday at Mies Park, reported Click On Detroit.
Violence during such intensely competitive sports is quite common. The recent Suarez incident, the infamous head-butt by Zinedine Zidane, is all quite fresh in the memories of people who love football. In fact, injuries that arise due to violence on field have their own special code on the recorded telephone message at the National Association of Sports Officials in Racine, Wisconsin. “For NASO insurance or assault information, press 3,” says the recorded message.
Though, as per latest update, this referee is said to be alive and responding well to treatment, others in the past haven’t been so lucky. On April 27, 2013, a then-17-year-old player punched referee Ricardo Portillo over being called for a foul during a game in a soccer game in Taylorsville, Utah, near Salt Lake City. A devoted father of three, Portillo went into a coma and died a week from sustaining the fatal blow. The teenager pleaded guilty to a homicide charge.
[Image Credit | My Fox Detroit]
