They want their child to be the next David Beckham or Wayne Rooney? and they’re willing to fight for it. David Harrison reports on the parents who are turning the beautiful game ugly
It’s 1-1 with less than 10 minutes to go and, on a small-sized football pitch in Surrey, two teams of nine-year-old boys are playing their muddy socks off. About 20 parents, split into two separate camps, are cheering them on from the touchline. It’s an open game and it could go either way.
A fair-haired youngster in a red strip dribbles the ball down the right wing and heads towards the goal. But his charge for glory is halted abruptly when a burly opponent in royal blue rushes over and sends him crashing to the ground with a heavy tackle.
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their children play football is causing concern
The referee signals a foul. An argument breaks out and, less than a minute later, the playing field echoes to the sickening sound of human head on human nose.
Read full story in The Telegraph
