VENANCIO AIRES, Brazil - After a soccer referee was kicked in the head and knocked unconscious by a Brazilian player, the athlete was jailed on a charge of attempted murder.

According to CNN, William Ribeiro is the soccer player who was behind bars in the southern Rio Grande do Sul state of Venancio Aires until his Tuesday release. 

Police Chief Vinicius de Lourenco de Assuncao confirmed that Ribeiro was arrested after allegedly attacking referee Rodrigo Crivellaro in the head during the second half of a match on Monday.

An ambulance rushed the unconscious Referee Crivellaro from the stadium to a hospital. After some examinations and observation, he was discharged on Tuesday.

"I don't really remember (what happened). My refereeing colleagues told me that I gave him a yellow card. He punched me in the face, I fell to the ground, got kicked, and passed out," Crivellaro told a local radio station.

"This player needs treatment because he is totally out of control. He deserves to be arrested for a long time."

Rio Grande do Sul state released a statement Monday saying an investigation into the incident was underway.

The Police Chief said no lawyer appeared to defend Ribeiro and the case is now apparently with a state public defender.

Ribeiro has yet to publicly comment on the incident.