November 24, 2004: Headlines: COS - Peru: Sports: Soccer: Crime: Contra Costa Times: Peru RPCV Bruce Greenlee suffered facial injuries as soccer referee when attacked by coach Mauricio Alvarez

Peace Corps Online: Directory: Peru: Peace Corps Peru: The Peace Corps in Peru: November 27, 2004: Headlines: COS - Peru: Sports: Soccer: Crime: San Francisco Chronicle: Peru RPCV Bruce Greenlee reaches out after Soccer attack : November 24, 2004: Headlines: COS - Peru: Sports: Soccer: Crime: Contra Costa Times: Peru RPCV Bruce Greenlee suffered facial injuries as soccer referee when attacked by coach Mauricio Alvarez

By Admin1 (admin) (pool-151-196-36-89.balt.east.verizon.net - 151.196.36.89) on Saturday, November 27, 2004 - 7:16 pm: Edit Post

Peru RPCV Bruce Greenlee suffered facial injuries as soccer referee when attacked by coach Mauricio Alvarez

Peru RPCV Bruce Greenlee suffered facial injuries as soccer referee when attacked by coach Mauricio Alvarez

Peru RPCV Bruce Greenlee suffered facial injuries as soccer referee when attacked by coach Mauricio Alvarez

Soccer coach is charged with 2 misdemeanors

By Tom Lochner

STAFF WRITER

The Alameda County District Attorney's Office charged a coach on Wednesday with two misdemeanors for attacking a referee during a weekend youth soccer tournament.

Coach Mauricio Alvarez will face charges of battery against a sports official and battery committed on a school or park property, each carrying a maximum sentence of a year in jail or $2,000 fine, or both, said Assistant District Attorney John Adams.

Alvarez, whose team forfeited the game because of a lack of required player paperwork, allegedly punched and kicked referee Bruce Greenlee.

A notice for Alvarez to appear in Alameda County Superior Court within the next month will soon be sent to his last known address, Adams said.

If Alvarez does not appear in court, a warrant for his arrest will be issued, Adams said.

On Tuesday, Alvarez was suspended by the California Youth Soccer Association-North pending a hearing based on the seriousness of the allegations, said association board chairman John Murphy.

There have been instances where association referees have been pushed, "but nothing of the magnitude of what appears to perhaps have happened in this case," Murphy said.

CYSA-North includes the Alameda-Contra Costa Youth Soccer League, which held the weekend tournament at Albany's Memorial Park and other area fields.

The attack occurred Saturday at half-time of a game for 8- and 9-year-olds after Greenlee, 59, disqualified the Richmond Cabritos for failing to produce required proof of insurance and eligibility for one of its players.

A parent who witnessed the attack said Greenlee was walking away with the coach following him. When Greenlee turned around, the coach "cold-cocked" Greenlee with a right-hand "haymaker."

"He decked him. Bruce went down. The guy took a kick at him," said the witness, who likened the outbreak to road rage.

A large man grabbed the coach from behind and pulled him away, said the witness, who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation. "The guy kept jawing at Bruce and made an obscene gesture while he was on the ground," he said.

Greenlee suffered facial injuries. He was taken to a hospital where a CT scan revealed no broken bones or brain injury. But doctors told Greenlee to watch for a list of symptoms that would require emergency medical attention, Greenlee said.

Albany police have completed their investigation of the incident and forwarded their findings to the Alameda County District Attorney's Office, said Lt. Daniel Adams. No charges were filed as of late Tuesday afternoon, and no arrest had been made.

Greenlee has said he would press charges.

Alvarez could face a misdemeanor charge of assaulting a referee, which carries a fine of up to $2,000 and a year in jail, authorities said.

Numerous witnesses photographed or videotaped the coach, who walked away on Thousand Oaks Avenue with several of his team members' parents in tow, the witness said.

No one answered the door Tuesday at a house believed to be Alvarez's East Bay residence.

Joan Steidinger, a psychologist practicing in San Francisco and Marin County who has taught sports psychology, said Saturday's incident presents anger management issues that could surface anywhere but tend to do so more often at sports events.

She blames their prevalence to society's tolerance of abusive behavior by famous coaches and athletes that would get them fired if they were in any other business.

"There's a trickle-down effect," Steidinger said. "Generally, the first step is verbal abuse; physical abuse follows that. So the first step is to get people more contained verbally so it doesn't escalate."

Particularly unfortunate about Saturday's attack was that Greenlee, a Richmond resident, is credited by many in the league for resuscitating a moribund Richmond youth soccer program about five years ago, said Manish Doshi, president of the El Cerrito Soccer Club.

"He's been a mentor and a role model for all of the kids and to the younger referees," Doshi said.

Greenlee said he learned the game of soccer while serving with the Peace Corps in Peru in the 1960s.





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Story Source: Contra Costa Times

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Peru; Sports; Soccer; Crime

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