The 46-year-old man was injured Saturday morning while officiating a game being played in the fields behind Eisenhower Jr. High at 4400 South Redwood Road, Unified Police Lt. Justin Hoyal said.

“He’s upset about that call that the referee made, and turns and immediately strikes that referee in the face,” he told FOX 13.

The referee was transported to the hospital by ambulance with what police initially believed were “minor injuries.” Upon further examination, the injuries were much more severe — caused by a single punch to the face.

“Once he got to the hospital, they found he had more serious injuries, head injuries as a result of that assault,” Hoyal said.

On Monday afternoon, the 17-year-old player was booked into a juvenile detention facility on suspicion of aggravated assault. Depending on what happens to the victim, charges could rise to adult-level charges.

“It’s one of those reminders that it’s a game. It’s not worth inflicting injury to someone over a game,” said Hoyal.

It’s a sentiment shared by Andrew Hiatt, the CEO of the Utah Youth Soccer Association.

“It’s just awful,” he told FOX 13. “It’s just everything that’s wrong with youth sports and with being a poor sport.”

Hiatt said Saturday’s game was not one organized by UYSA, nor was the referee one of theirs. However, he said that with the increasing popularity of soccer in Utah, they have seen an increase in competitiveness and emotion. UYSA, he said, tries to emphasize good sportsmanship and takes a zero-tolerance approach to referee abuse.

Physically assaulting a referee could land the player and others up to a year’s suspension and other disciplinary measures.

“We teach the fact that you live to play another day,” Hiatt said. “Calls in life aren’t always going to go for you.”

The Unified Police Department said Monday it was seeking video and witnesses to the referee’s assault. Anyone with information is urged to call 801-743-5913.

Rarely are the roles reversed, yet Chechen linesman Musa Kadyrov lost his composure in a Russian fixture on Sunday and launched a vicious assault on one of the players.

The incident occurred at the end of a Russian league reserve game in Grozny between Amkar Perm and local side Terek when a raging Kadyrov dropped his flag and ran onto the pitch, attacking startled defender Ilya Krichmar.

“The ref blew the final whistle and I started walking to our bench, when suddenly someone came from behind, pushed me to the ground and began kicking and punching me,” the 18-year-old Amkar player told reporters.

“Terek players then joined the attack. Someone grabbed me by the throat, another hit me… bloodying my face.

“Thank God, my team mates came to the rescue. Special thanks to Vlasov from Terek. We had known each other from a youth academy in St Petersburg and he helped me escape.”

Kadyrov said Krichmar had insulted him but the player denied the allegation.

“We weren’t happy with the officiating, words had been exchanged but I had never said anything personal about him or his mother,” he said. “I know how sensitive Chechen people are.”

Former FIFA referee Alexei Spirin, who was working as an assessor of Sunday’s match, was left shocked by the episode.

“In all my refereeing career I have never seen anything like it. This guy (Kadyrov) should not be a referee,” Spirin said.

“He had no clue about rules, even worse, attacked a player. On a scale of one to 10, I’d give him a zero and I’m writing a special report. He should not be allowed to officiate again.”

Krichmar was asked if he would attend the Russian Cup final in Grozny on June 1 if invited by Chechen officials.

“No, I would not go. I could still feel some hatred there after the (Chechen) war, although we had no problem with security in Grozny,” Krichmar said. “We always had bodyguards with machine guns around us. The food was good as well, but…”

Sunday’s incident was the latest in a series of violent attacks on players in Russian soccer.

Krasnodar striker Spartak Gogniyev suffered a broken nose and fractured ribs after being attacked by Terek officials at a reserve game in Grozny in November 2011.

Gogniyev was handed a six-game ban and $1,600 fine by the Russian FA for pushing the referee. The world players’ union FIFPro, however, slammed the decision to punish the player.

Former Montenegro striker Nikola Nikezic lodged a complaint with FIFA and UEFA in 2011, saying he had been forced to end his contract with Kuban Krasnodar after being beaten up and threatened with a gun.

”FIFA will now analyze the content of the letter and next steps will be determined in due course,” FIFA said on Monday in a statement.

On Sunday, the Costa Rican federation declared that the ”physical integrity” of the match had been impacted, claiming that ”ball movement became impossible” and field markings were not visible. They have reportedly asked that referee Joel Aguilar of El Salvador be punished, as well as the other match officials.

The match was played in near-blizzard conditions, with grounds crewmembers constantly shoveling to clear the field lines and players struggling with their footing and ball control. If Aguilar had determined the situation was unplayable, according to FIFA regulations, the match would have had to be replayed within 48 hours. On the TV broadcast on Friday, the announcers stated that the match would be started from the point that it was stopped; however, the official regulations say the match would be replayed in full.

However, it is unclear whether Costa Rica have complied with the formal procedures for a protest. These procedures include an on-field statement from the captain, who ”shall immediately lodge a protest with the referee in the presence of the captain of the opposing team.” Following the match, the Costa Rican federation was required to to file written protests with the match coordinator within two hours, and with FIFA’s administration by registered letter within 24 hours.

The US won the match thanks to a goal from Clint Dempsey in the 16th minute.

Check out the video:

The officer, identified only as Alberto M.M., was off duty and playing for the visiting team in a regional match Sunday in Valencia, ThinkSpain reported. Witnesses said he called the referee, Hector G.T., “sub-normal,” after the 17-year-old called a foul and sent Alberto, 27, to the sidelines.

Witnesses disagree about the intensity of the violence in the attack, with some saying Alberto kicked Hector once in the ribs while others say the teenager was repeatedly pummeled.

Hector was taken to Arnau Hospital in Vilanova after he passed out. Doctors removed his spleen after discovering it had been ruptured.

Hector says he plans to give up refereeing.

The Hague:

Six hundred and eighty suspicious matches including qualifying games for the World Cup and European Championships, and the Champions League for top European club sides, have been identified in an inquiry by European police force Europol, the European anti-crime agency, and national prosecutors.

“This is a sad day for European football,” said Rob Wainwright, director of Europol. “This is now an integrity issue for football. Those responsible for running the games should hear the warnings.”

The world’s most popular sport, soccer is played on every continent. Major international tournaments such as the World Cup are watched worldwide and generate billions of dollars for clubs and broadcasters. Top players such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are household names.

The matches in question, some of which have already been subject to successful criminal prosecutions, were played between 2008 and 2011, the investigators said. About 380 of the suspicious matches were played in Europe, and a further 300 were identified in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Criminal gangs are believed to be involved in match-fixing networks, using them as a way to launder cash, officials said. Last year the head of an anti-corruption watchdog estimated that $1 trillion was gambled on sport each year — or $3 billion a day — with most coming from Asia and put on soccer matches.

A German investigator described a network involving couriers ferrying bribes around the world, paying off players and referees in the fixing which involved about 425 corrupt officials, players and serious criminals in 15 countries.

“We have evidence for 150 of these cases, and the operations were run out of Singapore with bribes of up to 100,000 euros paid per match,” said Friedhelm Althans, chief investigator for police in the German city of Bochum.

German investigators said international matches were implicated as were games in Turkey, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Croatia, Austria, Hungary, Bosnia, Slovenia and Canada. Suspicious games had also been identified in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Investigators said no names of players or clubs would be released while the investigation proceeded. However, the fixing also included top flight national league matches in several European countries, as well as two Champions League matches, including one played in Britain.

Uefa, European soccer’s governing body, said it expected to receive further information from Europol in the coming days.

“As part of the fight against the manipulation of matches, Uefa is already co-operating with the authorities on these serious matters as part of its zero tolerance policy towards match-fixing in our sport,” it added.

Soccer has been affected by bribery scandals in the past, with the English game suffering in the 1960s and Italian soccer hit by a series of fixing cases in recent years.

The growth of televised sport and technology that allows gamblers to bet during a match have created fresh opportunities for fraudsters with links to organised crime.

Corruption goes beyond soccer. Three Pakistani Test cricketers were jailed in Britain in 2011 for their part in a scam where players agree to rig a specific part of a game, so-called “spot-fixing”.

Singapore police said last month that they were helping Italian authorities to investigate alleged match-fixing involving a Singaporean, but said he had not been arrested or charged with any offence there.

Althans said that, though German police had concrete proof of $11 million in gambling profits from the match-fixing, this was probably the tip of the iceberg.

Investigators described how gang members immediately subordinate to the Singapore-based leader of a worldwide network were each tasked with maintaining contacts with corrupt players and officials in their parts of the world.

Laszlo Angeli, a Hungarian prosecutor, gave an example of how the scam worked. “The Hungarian member, who was immediately below the Singapore head, was in touch with Hungarian referees who could then attempt to swing matches at which they officiated around the world,” he said.

Accomplices would then place bets on the Internet or by phone with bookmakers in Asia, where bets that would be illegal in Europe were accepted. “One fixed match might involve up to 50 suspects in 10 countries on separate continents,” said Althans. “Even two World Cup qualification matches in Africa, and one in Central America, are under suspicion,” Althans added.

World soccer’s governing body Fifa issued a statement pointing to quotes from its Director of Security, Ralf Mutschke, before a match-fixing conference in Rome last month.

“World Cup qualifying matches are tough to fix as a general rule, since the World Cup is the biggest event for teams and above all players,” he said. “We’re obviously still keeping a very close eye on the matches, but as yet there have been no suspicions of fixing.”

However, Theo van Seggelen, head of international players’ union FIFPro, said authorities were failing to tackle the problem properly. “Professional football needs not one but maybe 10 wake-up calls,” he said, calling for tighter controls on the works of soccer agents and on player ownership.

Last year Chris Eaton, who is director of Sport Integrity at the International Centre for Sport Security, a Qatari-backed anti-corruption watchdog, gave the $1 trillion estimate for global sports gambling.

“Around 80 percent of that money is gambled on football and most of that money is either in or to southeast Asia,” said Eaton, a former head of security at Fifa, world soccer’s governing body.

Jackson’s experience of playing for the likes of Saracens, New Zealand Maoris and Waikato Chiefs has been utilised by rugby’s governing bodies and the former fly-half refereed Saturday’s Test between England and Fiji at Twickenham – the venue of his final match before retirement in May 2010.

By his own admission, Newcastle United goalkeeper Steve Harper believes, at the age of 38, he is too old to consider refereeing as the next step in his career once his playing days are over, even though the Premier League no longer insists officials stop at the age of 48.

Harper was often seen officiating on park pitches in the North East in previous years but as his family grew, his role as the man in the middle became less frequent.

The experienced goalkeeper retains an interest in refereeing and sees no reason why football cannot follow the lead of sports such as rugby and fast-track players into the system.

During an exclusive interview with GK Icon, Harper said: “I have often said that when players are coming to the end of their careers, why are there no opportunities for them to be fast tracked? And this was always met with resistance.

“I think it is becoming more of an option now. There was talk of a mentor-style system starting at academy level. The fact is that the best referees would still get through and it would be a relationship that would be mutually beneficial for both players and referees because they could both learn from each other. I think that is something that might change in the future.”

Regardless of whether football’s governing bodies decide to opt for a fast-track system, Harper believes players whose careers are ended prematurely through injury should certainly consider refereeing.

“I still do school games and the odd youth games but it is very hard to when you are an active professional,” Harper explained. “But I used to do a lot of refereeing on the weekends and Sunday mornings.

“I have got three kids now so it would be difficult. As I said, I am approaching 38 and it is too late to go down that route now.

“But it is certainly worth doing. Any young players that have drifted out of the game or had to finish through injury, I would definitely tell them it is worth exploring.”

The treatment of referees has been a topic of debate for some time and the foul abuse they receive, combined with the extreme scrutiny, is sure to deter many.

Harper believes the media are often too harsh on officials and claims the standard of Britain’s referees are higher than anywhere else in Europe.

He said: “The scrutiny they are under is incredibly intense. Referees only get one shot at a decision whereas we get to see it in 300 different angles and HD with slow-motion, And in some occasions opinions are still split despite all the technology. So refereeing is an incredibly tough job.

“I was speaking to Mike Reily a few weeks ago on the Footballers’ Football Show and the scrutiny that they put themselves under from within their own organisation is also high through the dialogue they share and there is a real professionalism within the referees’ association.

“I think the treatment they get in the media is particularly hard because they do strive to improve.

“From the experience we have had in European Football, I think the standard of refereeing in Britain is the highest I have come across.  In general, they do a very, very good job in very difficult circumstances.”

Harper is enjoying life at Newcastle once again this season after being out of the reckoning during the 2011/12 campaign, with his five appearances all coming out on loan at Brighton and Hove Albion.

Newcastle’s longest serving player of all time has made seven outings already this season due to the Magpies’ Europa League campaign and injury to Tim Krul.

“It has been nice to be back involved,” Harper admitted. “Last year I was not involved a lot but I had a good chat with the manager (Alan Pardew) on day one of pre-season and he said that if I still want it, then there might be an opportunity to play due to the volume of games coming up.

“That kick-started me again and I have really enjoyed it, it has been great. I have played six-and-a-half games so far and I hope to get a few more under my belt.”

Injury to his elbow meant Harper missed Newcastle’s last two matches but whilst Krul is undoubtedly Alan Pardew’s number one, the Europa League and cup competitions provide the 38-year-old with an opportunity to impress during what is the final year of his contract.

Harper said: “I hope to get as many games as possible. I am hoping we can stay in the Europa League as long as possible. We have been in the quarter final and semi-final in the past so it would be fantastic to stay in that competition.

“Unfortunately, we are out of the Capital One Cup but if we have a good FA cup run, a good Europa League run and keep doing well in the Premier League, then the more chance I have of playing in as many games as possible.

“Hopefully the club can finish in the top six and to win a cup in my time at this club would be a fantastic achievement.”

The event agenda was in three parts: first the interview with the three FIFA Referees, then a review of 2012 Olympic video clips, then a Q&A session with the audience of approximately 75 referees. Unfortunately, the International Olympic Committee forbids the online posting of Olympic video clips.

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“You have to have a lot of control and a lot of focus,” says Sean Hurd.

Hard work and focus has landed Jacksonville native Sean Hurd on the world stage. He is one of two Americans picked to referee men’s soccer at the 2012 Olympics.

“It really is something that is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Hurd said.

Hurd is going with tons of experience. He is what’s called an assistant referee, running along the touchline with a flag. He works several MLS games a year, and can generally be spotted working the bench sideline.

“We’re there through mid-August. They’ll tell us a couple days before each match who is on what game and what city we’re in and they’ll make arrangements for us to travel there,” Hurd said of the Olympics.

He leaves for London Wednesday.

UEFA president Michel Platini, a well-known opponent of using technology to help determine if a goal has been scored, also reiterated his opposition on Saturday following a UEFA executive committee meeting in Ukraine’s capital.

The International Football Association Board (IFAB), comprising the four British associations and four members from FIFA, is expected to sanction the use of technology when it meets in Zurich on July 5.

UEFA have been experimenting with a five-man refereeing team, including two assistants who stand behind the goal, and UEFA want IFAB to endorse their system at the same time as delaying any decision on technology.

“We have evaluated 1,000 matches at the highest level and Pierlugi Collina, (UEFA’s refereeing officer) showed us all the situations and benefits following three years of tests,” said Infantino.

“The executive committee of UEFA unanimously agreed to issue a statement for full support for this system and to request to IFAB and FIFA to allow the five referees to officiate in the future.”

“The results from these 1,000 matches were extremely positive and there was just one serious mistake. Unfortunately it happened during these Euros as we all know, but there was unanimous support.

“The executive committee is asking FIFA and IFAB to start an open debate about technology in football involving all stakeholders before any decision is taken in this area.”

The one mistake came during Ukraine’s match with England when a shot from Marco Devic appeared to be over the line before being hooked clear by England’s John Terry.

Despite that, Platini said he remained opposed to using technology in the game.

“I am not just wholly against goalline technology, I am against technology itself because then it is going to invade every area of football.

“The goal between England and Ukraine – it was a goal, ok? – and it’s a mistake from the referee and he didn’t see it. But there was an offside before then so if they have given offside we wouldn’t have had the goal.

“So why don’t we have technology for offside decisions as well. And what about Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” goal in 1986, why don’t we have technology to see if Maradona handled it? Where does it stop? It won’t stop. I am against technology itself.”

The debate about goalline technology has lasted for most of the last decade, but IFAB is expected to endorse two systems on Thursday – the Hawk-Eye and GoalRef systems – which have passed stringent tests to the satisfaction of the Board.

The Hawk-Eye system is a British one based on cameras while GoalRef – a Danish-German development – uses magnetic fields.

Each system is required to send an immediate message to a watch worn by the referee within one second of the ball crossing the line.

Any amendment to the law needs at least six of the eight members of IFAB to vote in favour which is widely expected to be the case in Zurich.