A Florida youth soccer dispute involving a 3-year-old player brought police to a public park after his parents and a league organiser gave different accounts of why he was benched.

Key Takeaways

  • The boy’s parents say he was penalised because he was more advanced than the other children; the organiser alleged that he had pushed players.
  • Winter Park police said no one was arrested, trespassed or forced to leave the public park.

Florida youth soccer accounts differ

The child, identified as Nevada, played in a local program operated by i9 Sports. His parents, Martasia Griffin and Don Pierre, say he was asked to leave the league because his ability exceeded that of the other children. They shared videos showing him dribbling and scoring.

In police body-camera footage, an organiser praised the boy’s ability but alleged that he had pushed other players. The organiser said he tried to correct the behaviour and that the parents became argumentative after their son was benched.

The family’s footage does not resolve everything that happened during the game. The parents also said they had paid nearly $300 for the program; the organiser asked officers for the family’s name so he could give them a refund.

What police said

The Winter Park Police Department said officers could not remove the family from the public park simply because the organiser wanted them gone. Police said the family was cooperative and told officers the game had ended and they were leaving.

No one was arrested, issued a trespass notice or forced to leave the park, the department said.

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