Soccer Violence Arrives In America

7/1/2014

Michigan soccer ref dies after being punched during game

June 29: An undated photo provided by the Livonia Police Department is of Baseel Abdul-Amir Saad.The Associated Press

The Michigan soccer referee critically injured this weekend after he was sucker-punched during an adult-league game died Tuesday in an area hospital.

John Bieniewicz, 44, was left in critical condition after witnesses say he was punched in the head during a game in Livonia. He was a dialysis technician with a wife and two sons, said attorney Jim Acho, who attended Catholic Central High School with Bieniewicz. The death was confirmed by the hospital and a family friend.

Livonia Police Lt. Tom Goralski said Baseel Abdul-Amir Saad punched Bieniewicz after he indicated that the 36-year-old Dearborn resident was going to be ejected. Livonia police and the Wayne County prosecutor's office have not named the referee, whom Acho identified as Bieniewicz.

One witness told MyFoxDetroit.com that Bieniewicz was hit while he put his head down to pull out a red card. He was punched near his throat and fell without raising his arms, the witness said.

Saad was arraigned Monday in Livonia District Court on a charge of assault with intent to do great bodily harm. Bond was set at $500,000, and a probable-cause hearing was set for July 10. It is unclear if Saad will face new charges.

Acho says a fund is being set up to help pay for his friend's funeral and burial expenses, as well as his children's futures.

According to Acho, Bieniewicz was the only student-athlete in the class of 1988 to letter in both football and basketball at the ultra-competitive Detroit parochial school. Acho, who ran a basketball camp with Bieniewicz for four years after high school, said his 6-foot-5 friend would "wow the kids with dunks."

But much to the surprise of his friends, Bieniewicz gravitated to soccer and fell in love with the sport. He has been a well-respected referee for two decades.

He was doing what he loved on Sunday when he was attacked at Mies Park, Acho said.

In April 2013, a 17-year-old player punched referee Ricardo Portillo after being called for a foul during a soccer game in Taylorsville, Utah, near Salt Lake City. Portillo, a father of three, died after a week in a coma. The teen pleaded guilty to a homicide charge.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

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