Silent Sidelines Reminder

TO:       All Club Presidents, Club Vice Presidents/Representatives and Club Referee Assignors
 
FR:       Joseph Conte, District Vice President
            Michael Galbicsek, District Referee Administrator
 
CC:      Kenneth Essex, State Youth Referee Administrator
            Ronald Packard, State Assignor Coordinator
 
RE:      All Hands Meeting for Club Referee Assignors to be held at the next SCD Meeting
  We will be having an all hands meeting for all Referee Assignors (certified and emergency appointed by the club president for this year) during the May 2013 South Central District Meeting.
 
The purpose of this meeting is to address and resolve any issues and questions referees have with regards to the role of the Referee Assignor, District Referee Administrator and the implementation of the Central Assign System-the system the South Central District will be using to manage referees for all Connecticut Cup and State Cup Games.
 
As this will be the sole system for referee assignments for such tournaments we will be piloting this immediately following the meeting (however some clubs are currently utilizing this system) and this system will be utilized district wide for all games needing approval or assignments from the District Referee Administrator.
 
Both Ken Essex, SYRA and Ron Packard, SAC will be on hand to facilitate the meeting and provide an overview of the Central Assign System-as we realize this may be an entirely new process for almost everyone.
 
We are holding the meeting at the South Central District Meeting on Tuesday May 21, 2013 at 7:00PM at the Hamden Government Center.  Your club president and representative will be present as well-which should allow for all primary club managers the opportunity to learn the program together.
 
The presentation by Ken and Ron will commence during the “new business” period of the meeting and all interested individuals are welcome to attend. 
 
Due to the fact that at least one club leader (generally the president/representative) must attend the monthly South Central District meeting and this meeting is open to all referee assignors I trust that every club will have representation at this meeting.  Feel free to bring any referee (as all referees in Connecticut will be provided accounts) and or board member to this meeting if anyone wishes to attend.
 
Please share this with anyone you feel would have an interest in attending as all are welcome to attend and at least one person (who will be responsible for educating their club on Central Assign) from each club must attend.
We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday May 21, 2013 at 7:00PM at the Hamden Government Center located at 2750 Dixwell Avenue, Hamden, CT 06514.  The meeting will be held in the second floor large meeting room.
 
All questions can be answered at this instructional/open forum.

Ricardo Portillo - Dad


Vigil for Utah soccer ref who died after punch from teen

Family and friends of Ricardo Portillo hold vigil for him on front lawn of his Utah home on May 5, 2013 after soccer ref in rec league died from injuries suffered when he was punched in head by angry teen goalie / KUTV-TV/CBS

SALT LAKE CITY Family members of a Utah soccer referee who died a week after a player punched him in the head called on athletes around the world Sunday night to hold their tempers in check so another family doesn't have to suffer.

They spoke at a candlelight vigil held on the front lawn of the Salt Lake City home of Ricardo Portillo, 46. Wearing white shirts and holding signs that read, "In loving memory of Ricky," family and friends stood around a table that had a picture of Portillo raising his arms in victory, with flowers and candles surrounding it.

"He was a father, he was a friend, he was a grandfather, he left a whole family behind," said Johana Portillo, the oldest of his three daughters. "They should think before they do something stupid."

Asked if she can forgive the teenager, Johana Portillo said she hopes to someday, but isn't ready yet.

She said Sunday she doesn't care what the punishment becomes since it won't bring back her father. She only hopes he can't get out and do the same thing to somebody else, she said.

"I feel sorry for him. I feel for his family," she said. "But if he was old enough to do what he did, then he's responsible to pay for it."

Mario Vazquez, the league president who also was a friend of and worked with Portillo, said Sunday everyone in the league had the greatest respect for him. He had a great sense of humor and loved refereeing.  "Our thoughts and prayers are with the Portillo family during this difficult time. Ricardo will always be with us," he said.

Johana Portillo said she hopes her father's death leads to more security at sporting events and better self-control from players. She said her father had been attacked by players twice before in his eight years refereeing soccer matches -- even having his ribs and legs broken.

Pedro Lopez, his brother-in-law and a fellow soccer referee, called on soccer players worldwide to respect referees and remember it's a sport meant to relieve stress, not cause pain.

"Remember that we are human beings, and we make mistakes," Lopez said in Spanish. "Don't take justice into your own hands."

Ricardo Portillo's daughters had begged him to stop refereeing in a soccer league because of the growing risk of violence from angry players. But, like Lopez, Portillo told his daughters he couldn't quit.

"It was his passion," she said. "We could not tell him no."

Now his three daughters are faced with planning his funeral after he succumbed to injuries late Saturday that had put him in a coma for a week since the teenage goalie punched him in the head.

James Yapias, a longtime friend of Ricardo Portillo and youth soccer coach, said coaches and parents need to do a better job teaching children about sportsmanship and being non-violent. He also called for more police presence at games. Portillo's death is a reminder that life can change in a second.

"We all love this sport," Yapias said. "But we all need to respect the rules."

The teenager, quite a bit heavier than Portillo, began arguing with the referee, then punched him in the face. Portillo seemed fine at first, then asked to be held because he felt dizzy. He sat down and started vomiting blood, triggering his friend to call an ambulance.

Portillo was laying on the ground in the fetal position. Through translators, Portillo told emergency workers that his face and back hurt and he felt nauseous. He had no visible injuries and remained conscious. He was considered to be in fair condition when they took him to the Intermountain Medical Center.

But when Portillo arrived at the hospital, he slipped into a coma with swelling in his brain.

Johana Portillo said she last spoke to him that night before he fell into a coma. She grabbed his hand and told him he was going to be all right. He held her hand tightly and said "no." Within seconds, doctors ushered her out of the room and he lost consciousness.

She said Sunday night, with tears streaming down her face, that her father will always be in her heart.