Racist scandals in English football are not such a rarity, and often in their center are well-known players playing for the leading teams of the Premier League. However, this time we are talking about a situation with a 10-year-old boy.
The court of the city of Reading recognized the actions of the coach of the local Winnersh Rangers children's team as discrimination and psychological violence and ordered the club to pay a fine of £ 3,000 in compensation.
The incident occurred in the summer of 2018 during the pre-season tournament. In the course of one of the meetings, the specialist released a new player on the field. The father of the replaced boy found this decision unfair and suggested that the specialist was guided by racist principles. He appealed to the local department for the protection of children's rights, followed by a lawsuit against the club.
Nevertheless, in September, the child rejoined the training session, but then, unexpectedly for many, he left the team and never returned. According to his parents, he was forced to do it.
“The trainer behaved inappropriately towards my son and me. These people have harmed his sporting future. Since then, he stopped playing football, although he had dreamed of becoming a famous player before, ”the prosecutor quoted The Sun.
Following the investigation, the Winnersh Rangers were found guilty, although according to representatives of the club, they did not have the opportunity to attend the court hearing personally, as they had not received a corresponding notice. They were only put before the fact several months after the incident.
In addition, the team press officer Phil Chick, who is also a mentor for one of the children's teams, presented a different version of what happened. According to him, the father of the young athlete too jealously defended the interests of his son and misinterpreted the actions of the coaching staff.
“The most important thing for us is for children to enjoy football. But if the child is a good player, then this is definitely a big bonus. Replacement is part of the game. The coach just wanted to give everyone equal opportunity and the same amount of time on the field, ”Chika says The Telegraph.
He noted that in “Winners Rangers” everyone was unpleasantly surprised not only by what had happened, but also by the decision of the court, including the size of the fine.
The fact is that the team from Reading is a non-commercial project funded by voluntary fees. All funds go to the purchase of equipment and forms for the players, as well as contributions for participation in competitions. According to management estimates, the amount of £ 3 thousand, they can fully compensate for only 18 months.
“Losing a few thousand pounds is a big blow to any regional club like ours. However, I am confident that we will be able to challenge the decision of the court and return our money, ”said Chick.
In addition, he expressed concern about the fate of the young athlete, who showed great promise.
“Unfortunately, it seems that in this whole situation about the child completely forgotten. Because of what happened, he will no longer be able to play football for the local team, ”the press attaché added.
The club intends to appeal the decision of the court in early May. Chick was perplexed that the trial was held without the participation of the defense. In addition, they were not provided with all the necessary documents related to the case.
Interestingly, the Berkshire and Buckinghamshire Football Association also sided with the Winners Rangers. Together with her club conducted two internal investigations, which also did not reveal anything illegal in the actions of the coach.
At the moment, representatives of the organization declined to comment on the case.
“We are aware of the decision of the club to challenge the prosecution in court. However, until the situation is resolved, we do not intend to comment on it in any way, ”the association noted.