LIVONIA, Mich. — A recreational soccer player will stand trial for the one-punch slaying of a referee who was about to penalize and eject him from a game in suburban Detroit.

After a two-day preliminary examination, Livonia District Judge Kathleen McCann determined Thursday there was enough evidence to bind Bassel Saad, 36, over to Wayne County Circuit Court on a charge of second-degree murder.

Authorities say the auto mechanic from Dearborn struck John Bieniewicz on June 29 as the referee was preparing to red-card Saad in an adult recreational league game.