Referee assaulted and soccer player who knocked out two of his teeth fail to reach agreement, and precautionary measures are extended

The Maldonado Court extended the precautionary measures against the soccer player who assaulted a referee, knocking out two of his teeth and breaking his septum. Although there was an attempt to bring the parties together for a possible agreement, they are still “very far apart,” the victim's lawyer, Sebastián Serrón Bon, told El País. The hearing, which took place on Monday afternoon, was convened at the request of the third district prosecutor, Ana Rosés, who requested the extension of precautionary measures. The investigation had been formalized in November for the crime of personal injury, establishing a residence requirement and a ban on leaving the country. It was also decided that he could not communicate with or approach the victim within a radius of 500 meters and was prohibited from attending sporting events. With the expiration of the measures and the refusal of the parties to reach an agreement, the prosecutor's office requested their renewal, which was accepted by Judge Sylvana García, who established a new 90-day period. “There has been some rapprochement between the parties, but we are still far apart. There is a lot of damage here, and an agreement means the extinction of the crime and a civil settlement,” Serrón Bon explained to El País. The assault occurred on October 18, after the referee ended the match between San Lorenzo de San Carlos—the assailant's team—and Central Molino. Although the result left San Lorenzo as champions, the players from that team approached the referee to protest about situations during the match. The referee then decided to show two players red cards, and one of them (the now accused) reacted by headbutting him. As a result of the assault, the referee suffered a broken nose and lost two teeth. To carry out the investigation, Rosés analyzed footage and took statements from witnesses, the assailant, and the victim. “We support the work of the prosecutor's office and commend its swift action,” the victim's lawyer told El País after the player was formally charged, adding that “it is important to send a message to the players and the sporting community that this type of situation should not occur.” The referee who was assaulted intends to seek compensation in a civil court after the criminal investigation has progressed. The other option is for the case to be closed with a reparatory agreement, but although there have been attempts at reconciliation, the parties have not yet reached a final agreement. As a result of the assault, the Maldonado Referees' Association decided to suspend activity for two weeks. For its part, the Major League imposed a sanction on the assailant, who will not be able to participate in the competition for three years.