A Georgia High School soccer team is celebrating after winning a state championship — an experience that initially was soured when the team learned one of its top players wouldn’t be playing in that game.
The player’s suspension came during a Friday, April 28 match during which he and his team reportedly were subjected to racial slurs.
The Georgia High School Athletic Association ruled to uphold the suspension of one of the members of the boys’ soccer team at The Paideia School in Atlanta, Georgia, ahead of the Tuesday, May 2 state championship match. The player reportedly complained to a game official about racial slurs being hurled at his team by players from Armuchee High School in Floyd County, Georgia.
Paideia faced off against Armuchee in the April semifinal matchup, pulling off a 5-0 victory that sent the team to the state championship, but it came at a cost.
Players and parents reported that they heard Armuchee boys yell racial slurs at their team. Students who wanted to send a message about racism wore T-shirts with the words “No Room for Racism” to the May 2 championship game.
“It is unbelievable and heartbreaking that your child has to experience this, during one of the most important times of their career, and for it to be tainted by abject racism,” said Tia Alvarez-Stith to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Alvarez-Stith’s son is a sophomore on Paideia’s team.
“None of us were prepared for that. It is horrible to have your child be demoralized when they are supposed to be celebrating.”
Alvarez-Stith and other parents said that their sons had to experience rough play, but aside from that they reportedly were called the N-word several times.
The complaints were met with yellow cards and warnings from referees. The player from Paideia who was suspended had received a red card for reportedly taunting the Armuchee players by running to the team’s bench and pointing at players after he…
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