Sunday investigation: IHSA zeros in on city soccer

After Rivas whistled a foul during the second half of the contest with Lane Tech, the Kelvyn Park player ran onto the field and physically assaulted Rivas, forcing the game to be ended.

The player left the scene before Chicago Police arrived. As of Friday, no charges had been filed.

Kelvyn Park coach Jorge Ramirez would not reveal the player's name.

While Ramirez admitted no one should attack a referee, he believed the referee lost control of the game.

''I kept telling the ref that he was letting the game get out of hand," Ramirez said. ''The student should've never gone after the ref, and he's never [done that before]. But the ref didn't have control of the game.''

Gannaway said it wasn't the first time the Public League has used non-licensed officials to work soccer games.

The Sun-Times obtained a document Friday that was sent out this year by Espinoza. The two-page document lists 32 referees that Public League teams can use. Eight of the referees listed were not licensed to work IHSA games. Over the last year, some Public League coaches and referees have accused Espinoza of playing favorites with the list.

When hearing about Espinoza's document Friday, Gannaway was disappointed.

''I know [IHSA assistant executive director] Beth [Sauser] has had conversations with the Public League and its schools before about using non-licensed officials,'' Gannaway said. ''In most cases, whether they use an outside assigning person or not, it's the school's responsibility to make sure the officials are licensed.

''But in this case, it was the Public League Tournament, and it came right out of the Sports Administration office. We'll wait to receive the internal investigation before proceeding further. We have full confidence in Calvin Davis and know we will receive a complete report.''

In a statement, Davis said he is reviewing the situation.

''I have researched this situation with the soccer coordinator and the IHSA,'' Davis said. ''The official in question [from the game Monday] has been registered for the last five years and was in good standing.

''He has been removed from further involvement in the soccer program. Additionally, I am conducting an internal review of all high school soccer officials.

''Any official who is not registered will be removed promptly from the list of available officials. I have made the coordinators accountable for checking to make certain assignors and athletic directors are using registered officials at all times. I will continue to monitor this situation closely.''

Gannaway said the IHSA goes out of its way to make sure officials and schools know who is licensed and what to do if they aren't.
''We have a complete list that is updated daily on our Web site at IHSA.org,'' Gannaway said. ''We have announcements on the Web site regarding what steps officials need to take to be licensed to work IHSA games.

''There is no question we need officials in the greater Chicagoland area. But we need to make sure they are licensed.''