The news of the death of a 24-year-old Argentinean soccer player shocked the city of Buenos Aires on Tuesday. Police found Williams Alexander Tapon’s body near a train station, merely 24 hours after being charged for attempted homicide.
They found his body a few blocks away from his house in the southern suburban part of the city.
How did it all begin?
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When a video of the vicious assault on referee Cristian Ariel Paniagua went viral on social media on Monday, Tapón attained an unexpected amount of recognition. The incident happened on Saturday during a soccer game in an amateur tournament between Tapón’s team, La Cortada, and El Rejunte. The player punched the referee, knocking him to the ground, and then kicked him in the head, knocking him out. They brought the referee to a hospital in the Avellaneda neighborhood.
According to ABC news, after the referee filed a complaint, the Avellaneda prosecutors charged the Argentinean soccer player with “aggravated attempted homicide with premeditation in the context of a sporting event,” with imprisonment between 10-15 years, as per the law.
Williams was facing a lifetime ban from attending matches as per discussions with the sports security authorities.
Argentinean community in shock!
Tapón’s widow, who only went by the name Agustina, was quoted in media sites as saying that he died by assumed suicide, citing an audio message she had received from him. The police did not confirm the cause of death. He was a father to two children.
“In the audio message he sent me saying goodbye, he told me, ‘Take care of our children’ and ‘I prefer that everyone suffer at once rather than seeing me suffer every day in prison,’” his wife told local media. “Those were his last words before doing what he did.”
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Hours before they found his body at the station, Williams spoke to the media about the incident and expressed his regret!
“The truth is that I was in a bad state, I admit it. It was those five minutes when I couldn’t control myself, and I reacted that way toward the referee,”
“The only explanation I can give is that I was angry. The referee didn’t help; from the beginning, he was making all the calls in their favor.”
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In conclusion, the brutal attack and subsequent death of an amateur soccer player in Argentina have sent shockwaves through the local community. As the investigation progresses, the community mourns the loss of a promising athlete.
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