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Got to polish up those Karate skills before I sign up my kids for any sports when they grow a little more… . 
Parent Attacks Kids' Soccer Referee
MORRIS, Ill. (STNG) -- Referee George Wilhelmsen expected a fun game while officiating a soccer match between 6- and 7-year-olds two weeks ago.
What he said he got was a surprise attack from a parent, as witnesses watched a father of one of the players rush onto the field and choke Wilhelmsen.
"It was a scary experience," Wilhelmsen said. "My neck still hurts."
The Sept. 15 game was between first- and second-graders and was one of many going on that Saturday on the Morris Soccer Association's fields south of town.
The trouble that day began later in the game, when two players collided. One fell down and stayed down, and Wilhelmsen stopped the game to check on him. The coach took the player off the field.
High school referee Russell Hornbeck, who was the sideline official, saw the incident.
The coach, Hornbeck said, was arguing that a foul should have been called. Wilhelmsen, Hornbeck said, had to "yellow card" the coach, which is an official warning.
Hornbeck said the coach continued to dissent, and Wilhelmsen gave him a second yellow card and ejected him from the game, which meant the coach had to go beyond "sight and sound" of the game. Hornbeck said that the coach refused to leave because he wanted to watch his son play the rest of the game.
Wilhelmsen said that was when a parent, Alma Rodriguez, came on to the field to argue that a penalty should have been called. Wilhelmsen said he asked her several times to leave the field. That's when Wilhelmsen said the woman's husband, William Favretto, charged him.
"The next thing I know," Wilhelmsen said, "this guy had his hands around my neck."
Wilhelmsen said Favretto tried to strangle him. His neck was red the rest of the day, he said, and is still hurting.
The incident was witnessed by several parents and by Hornbeck, who was one of the first on the field to stop the attack.
"I saw a man throw something down and run out on the field, and he grabbed George (Wilhelmsen) by the throat," Hornbeck said.
"I was a little stunned. I had to ask myself if this was really happening."
Hornbeck, MSA President Jeff Hunt, and several parents rushed to pull Favretto off Wilhelmsen.
"He (Favretto) was still angry and was trying to get at George even after we were restraining him," Hornbeck said.
In a phone interview Wednesday afternoon, Favretto said his actions were only taken to defend his wife.
The referee's voice kept getting louder each time he asked his wife to get off the field, Favretto said, and he was worried about her safety.
"What I did wasn't extreme," he said. "I don't apologize for defending my wife. He should know you don't do that to a man's wife. But at the same time, in the way I did it, it could have been done differently. For kids to see that, they don't necessarily see I'm defending my wife, and because of that, it hurts my heart ... Maybe I could have bumped chests with him or yelled at him."
The police were called, and Favretto was arrested and charged with battery. He was released later on $100 bond. His court date is set for Oct. 15. If convicted, he could face up to a year in jail. Grundy County State's Attorney Sheldon Sobol said his office is reviewing the evidence for a possible upgrade of the charges because of the severity of the alleged attack.
Wilhelmsen said that even though he's officiated several games since the incident, he still jumps when someone comes up to him on the field.
He's never seen violence against an official in the sport, he said, but it doesn't really surprise him. The number of parents who yell at officials during a game, he said, has gotten out of hand.
Hunt said the association banned Favretto for life from attending games. He advises parents who feel rushes of emotion during a game to take a deep breath and walk away for a minute.
"It's not the World Cup," he said. "It's a recreational kids' league. Most kids that age don't even care about whether they won or lost -- they just want a treat afterward."
MORRIS, Ill. (STNG) -- Referee George Wilhelmsen expected a fun game while officiating a soccer match between 6- and 7-year-olds two weeks ago.
What he said he got was a surprise attack from a parent, as witnesses watched a father of one of the players rush onto the field and choke Wilhelmsen.
"It was a scary experience," Wilhelmsen said. "My neck still hurts."
The Sept. 15 game was between first- and second-graders and was one of many going on that Saturday on the Morris Soccer Association's fields south of town.
The trouble that day began later in the game, when two players collided. One fell down and stayed down, and Wilhelmsen stopped the game to check on him. The coach took the player off the field.
High school referee Russell Hornbeck, who was the sideline official, saw the incident.
The coach, Hornbeck said, was arguing that a foul should have been called. Wilhelmsen, Hornbeck said, had to "yellow card" the coach, which is an official warning.
Hornbeck said the coach continued to dissent, and Wilhelmsen gave him a second yellow card and ejected him from the game, which meant the coach had to go beyond "sight and sound" of the game. Hornbeck said that the coach refused to leave because he wanted to watch his son play the rest of the game.
Wilhelmsen said that was when a parent, Alma Rodriguez, came on to the field to argue that a penalty should have been called. Wilhelmsen said he asked her several times to leave the field. That's when Wilhelmsen said the woman's husband, William Favretto, charged him.
"The next thing I know," Wilhelmsen said, "this guy had his hands around my neck."
Wilhelmsen said Favretto tried to strangle him. His neck was red the rest of the day, he said, and is still hurting.
The incident was witnessed by several parents and by Hornbeck, who was one of the first on the field to stop the attack.
"I saw a man throw something down and run out on the field, and he grabbed George (Wilhelmsen) by the throat," Hornbeck said.
"I was a little stunned. I had to ask myself if this was really happening."
Hornbeck, MSA President Jeff Hunt, and several parents rushed to pull Favretto off Wilhelmsen.
"He (Favretto) was still angry and was trying to get at George even after we were restraining him," Hornbeck said.
In a phone interview Wednesday afternoon, Favretto said his actions were only taken to defend his wife.
The referee's voice kept getting louder each time he asked his wife to get off the field, Favretto said, and he was worried about her safety.
"What I did wasn't extreme," he said. "I don't apologize for defending my wife. He should know you don't do that to a man's wife. But at the same time, in the way I did it, it could have been done differently. For kids to see that, they don't necessarily see I'm defending my wife, and because of that, it hurts my heart ... Maybe I could have bumped chests with him or yelled at him."
The police were called, and Favretto was arrested and charged with battery. He was released later on $100 bond. His court date is set for Oct. 15. If convicted, he could face up to a year in jail. Grundy County State's Attorney Sheldon Sobol said his office is reviewing the evidence for a possible upgrade of the charges because of the severity of the alleged attack.
Wilhelmsen said that even though he's officiated several games since the incident, he still jumps when someone comes up to him on the field.
He's never seen violence against an official in the sport, he said, but it doesn't really surprise him. The number of parents who yell at officials during a game, he said, has gotten out of hand.
Hunt said the association banned Favretto for life from attending games. He advises parents who feel rushes of emotion during a game to take a deep breath and walk away for a minute.
"It's not the World Cup," he said. "It's a recreational kids' league. Most kids that age don't even care about whether they won or lost -- they just want a treat afterward."
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