While families and players celebrated the return of competitive youth soccer over Labor Day weekend, after months of Covid-19 pandemic-related cancellations, a disturbing incident occurred at the Fredericksburg Youth Soccer Tournament.
According to David Potter, a parent of a player on the FC Charles team, a white referee made a racist remark to the Black Coach and Parents during an Under-13 girls’ soccer game.
The parent took the incident to social media and wrote;
My daughter’s soccer team played in a Labor Day Tournament today in Fredericksburg, VA. Towards the end of the game, our head coach, in an attempt to protect all the girls on the pitch, asked the head referee to look out for fouls on both sides of the ball so everyone could make it home healthy and in one piece. The referee responded with aggression and blatant racism that doesn’t deserve repeating. Not only did the referee respond with racism, he said it in front of the girls as well. Another father and myself asked the referee after the game what he’d said in front of the girls, his response is pictured below. He followed up with more racist remarks and threatened to call the police and weaponize our blackness.
No points to tally for beating the brakes off an old racist at a youth sports event, but I can try my best to make sure his Saturdays and Sundays won’t be spent officiating again.
The coach of FC Charles, Kiante Webb, reportedly stated that the issue arose after a player from the CSA, the opposing team, was left injured.
The coach said, “I ran out on the field because the girl was crying and in pain, and when I ran up to her, the ref was over top of her yelling at her. I said ‘yo, she’s hurt, stop yelling at her,’ and he turned around and took immediate offense and told me, get off the field, this is not your girl.”
“Every girl out here is mine. If you yell at another female out here, you and I are just gonna have personal issues,” Webb told the referee.
The Racist Remarks Didn’t Stop
When the match ended, Webb along with other parents, including Potter, approached the coach at the parking lot to peacefully discuss about the incident.
However, the situation actually got worse, as the referee didn’t only attack them verbally, but also threatened to call law enforcement and made more racist remarks.
The photograph and the post of the parent have received attention from thousands of individuals and angry reactions.
After the incident, the organizers of the tournament, Fredericksburg Soccer Club Incorporated (FSCI) released the following statement;
FSCI has no toleration for racism. FSCI has contacted the state referee association about the incident. We will aggressively seek discipline for any individual that explicitly makes racial statements towards youth or anyone else at our events.
The organization also sent an email to all the referees who work under Metro DC-Virginia State Referee Program (MDCVASRP,) stating, they should follow the Laws of the game, and keep the Politics away.
The Email also wrote, “If you make any lewd, racist, or vulgar comments as a referee, you can and will be held accountable for those unacceptable actions. If you cannot adhere to these standards, then you should not accept matches.”
FSCI later confirmed the referee was suspended till the outcome of the investigation is found. All the necessary parties involving the incident helped gather information to FSCI and MDCVASPR.
Diante Webb, the coach, emphasized the importance of protecting the young ones and keeping miscreants away from the game. “No points to tally for beating the brakes off an old racist at a youth sports event, but I can try my best to make sure his Saturdays and Sundays won’t be spent officiating again,” said Webb.
If we look back at the incident, it serves as a reminder of the importance of professionalism, accountability, and zero tolerance, which are essential in any form of sports and have no room for error, especially in youth sports.
With such rising incidents, respective organizations should take strict action, whether it be coaches, referees, parents, or even the players.
