Utah soccer referee left in coma after attack by teenage player

By Laura Zuckerman (Reuters) – A Utah soccer referee who suffered head injuries when he was punched in the face by a teenage player remained hospitalized in a coma on Friday, almost a week after the incident. A 17-year-old player struck the referee, Ricardo Portillo, in the head on Saturday after Portillo penalized the teenager during a soccer game in a Salt Lake City suburb, said Justin Hoyal, a lieutenant with the Unified Police of Greater Salt Lake. The player, whose name was withheld because he is a juvenile, was upset because Portillo had issued him a yellow card, Hoyal said. …