10-Year-Old Soccer Player Arrested in China for This ‘Dirty’ Kick to an Opponent’s Head
- Posted on March 21, 2012 at 7:18am by
Jonathon M. Seidl
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When you see it, you’ll probably let out a verbal “oh!”
During a recent soccer match in Hong Kong between two under-twelve (U-12) teams, things got ugly. As you’ll see, the team in blue (the ESF Lions) is seen committing plenty of controversial plays including tough tackles. But the pinnacle of dirty comes when one boy goes to “kick” the ball and instead unleashes his foot on an opponent’s head as he lay on the ground. Now, that boy has been arrested.
Here’s just the kick:
Deadspin has the more complete video showing everything leading up to the kick, plus a better view of the dirty play (at 1:36):
“I understand that the parent of the injured child has referred the matter to the police and we will cooperate fully with any police investigation,” the head of Hong Kong’s English Schools Foundation (ESF) said in a letter to parents, according to the Telegraph.
The boy was arrested and then released on bail.
But there seems to be more at play here. The Telegraph dives into some of the politics surrounding the incident. See ESF has come under fire because it’s subsidized by the government:
ESF was set up in 1967 mainly for the children of expatriates on the island and continues to receive a controversial subsidy from the Hong Kong government, despite now being the largest international school network in Asia.
Some comments posted on the websites of Hong Kong newspapers pointed out that the ESF team, including the ten year-old, were mainly Caucasian and described them as “white bullies”. From the video, the injured boy appeared to be ethnically Chinese.
Others demanded that the government stop funding the education of foreigners.
However, the head of the Kitchee sports club, Ken Ng, played down the racial element of the incident. “Do not read too much into it,” he told AFP. “It is one boy kicking another boy.”
Do you think the boy should have been arrested? Did the kick seem intentional?
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Comments (76)
Disabledvet
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 9:51amNo Blood No foul, Hey it was a good kick nice form kid.
Report Post »db321
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 10:35amEveryone gets a Throphy!
Report Post »atechgeek
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 11:13amThat is what a striker does (Cliffhanger) … you must protect yourself .. it’s like skating with your head down with the puck.
Report Post »Libertarian B 4 Libertarians Were Cool
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 11:17amDISABLESVET you sound like a real D-bag!
Report Post »pgjw56
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 12:13pmIf that was my kid, I would have a talk with the coach, I’m cwertain I would have to kick the **** out of him, no haRM NO FOUL, RIGHT?
Report Post »Unix
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 1:03pmAs a soccer player for 46 years and have played at high levels, this IMO, was a deliberate kick to the head. His left foot had cleared the ball, and his eyes were clearly on the head of the downed player. As to any comment on why he did this, it was clearly revenge, for being whupped on the field, he decided he had had enough. Sad to say, this goes on all the time, it is human nature.
Report Post »NeoFan
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 8:22pmThis is why we need a greater emphasis on sports in our government schools. It just attracts the best of the best.
Report Post »KevINtampa
Posted on March 23, 2012 at 11:43am[sarcasm] This is what happens when you keep score. If sports didn’t keep score, are there were no winners and losers, we would protect all people from things like this while engaged in physical play. This is why we must put an an end to competition. [/sarcasm]
Report Post »cranberry
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 9:48amNasty #2 has some anger issues. Needs to not play competitive sports and needs some sessions with an adult who can help him get over whatever the he(( his real issues are.
Report Post »MrObstat
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 9:45amWhat about the idiot publisher who decided to publish a 3-2 victory when the blue team had originally lost 0-16 (see early seconds of the long video clip)? That is pathetic.
It is not surprising that the kids on the blue team might feel privileged in an insider sort of way. There is a cancer surrounding this team and the coach and parents are responsible.
Report Post »svan71
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 9:36am#2 needs a serious asss kicking
Report Post »Hephzibah
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 9:29amIt’s clear the feminized OWO needs to ban soccer. Wait. Maybe ban all sports…therefore, no racism and no injuries. s\
Report Post »let us prey
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 9:28amWe played hockey when I was a kid, take a number and a clean open ice hit would have set that wrong (right). Police themselves, and make the parents watch the game from a remote location.
Report Post »tajloc
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 9:26amI blame the ref. 4 to 0 at half time. He needs to speak to the two coaches together. Calm them and tell them he walks off and cancels with one more incident. In his mind he knows that he will walk ‘cuz the coach of the “white” team has no control. The real control is with the parents. But the league does not exist for the parents so it is time for the ref to make a scene. Walk and go to the press. These things do happen in sports. By the way refs do not talk to parents. He should have walked when parents did not leave the field.
Report Post »Y‘all need to watch men’s rugby… No one talks to the ref accept two captains. His word is law… 30 men with one ref. Think about it. And all 30 go to the shared drinking party after the game.
What a joke soccer is…just sayin
circleDwagons
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 8:37pmi was agreeing with you until you said that soccer was a joke. The referee let things get out of hand i can remember having some rough games but all kicks to the head or groin where accidental.
Report Post »desertrat232
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 9:23amThe coach should have been arrested. The 2nd video is discussing. No excuses. What ever happened to the saying “it doesn’t matter whether you win or loose, it’s how you play the game”.
Report Post »hklusa
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 9:17amI can‘t say anything about the racist issue as I can’t speak for what anyone else thinks. In fact, it looked as though there may have been an Asian committing one of the egregious fouls.
However, I do know soccer:
- The ball was at no time near the player on the ground’s head. The kick was intentionally aimed at the player on the ground.
- The blue team was consistently playing with intent to injure the white team. It was a pattern of behavior that could have been avoided by the referee’s proactive approach. There were plenty of opportunities to throw players out of the game. Had this happened, the behavior would have stopped.
- The players on the white team exercised good judgement. They didn’t take the bait to get involved in a fight. Not only did they play fair, they played very well.
These kids’ behavior is 100% the fault of the coach. Kids do what the coach tells them. It takes a sick and twisted kid to act that way and there are very few of them. However, adults are another story. There are plenty of those willing to tell kids to go out and hurt someone.
Report Post »dannyo
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 9:10amwhen parents and paid coaches are involved, nothing is fun..enough said..
Report Post »SquareHead
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 8:45amClearly Intentional, and the punishment should be severe. For a kid to to do that it shows a very deficient character, and probably some poor parenting. He could have killed that boy, and might already have caused him permanent damage TMJ, eye or neck injuries etc..
He should have to serve embarrassing community service and should be banned from partaking in any sports until adulthood, and if he does try to sneak in he should be given a prison sentence.
This should be used to send a message. If not then it will go the way of hockey here in the US, which is a disgrace to sportsmanship.
Report Post »djmaine
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 8:28amThis is what happens as we feminize boys and men. Back in the day the aggressor would have had his a$$ kicked by the kid he kicked or by his friends on the team right away. The parent of the aggressor would have grown up in a time of honor and decency thereby hauling the kid out of the game demonstrating that this behavior would not be tolerated. Now we have to mind ourselves and let the feminist “grownups” fix the problem.
Report Post »Baddoggy
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 9:20amI agree..The femenizing started wirth…drum roll please…SOCCER!
Report Post »Walkabout
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 9:31amBaddoggy
Do you know how much force is behind a kick? I am not an expert but I have made calculations for class on force the body undergoes when working & the forces it can endure.
It is a good thing they referred it to the police. If you don‘t have the king’s law upheld you will have clan law enforced.
IMO the kicker is lucky that the kickee‘s father doesn’t leave him an orphan.
Report Post »Fried Okra
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 5:47pmYou guys clearly know nothing about soccer. “femenizing”…. hehe.
Report Post »EqualJustice
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 8:23amGood excuse for GOVERNMENT approved helmets? haha
Report Post »DearDonkey
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 8:12amIt looked the the kid overstepped the ball and was already in motion which led to the head kick. If you watch closely, it looks like the ball was right next to the kids head and then at the last second it gets moved a few feet which causes the other kid to kick, miss, and hit the other kids head. Yes it appears as though he was looking at the other kids head. But it’s difficult to say for sure if it was purely intentional. If it was intentional, then it was absolutely wrong and the kid should be banned from soccer in that league. It would be interesting to know more about the boy who kicked him. Does he have a history of this? The way the kicker throws his hands in the air as if to say “what did I do?” makes me think that maybe it wasn’t completely innocent. But we have to remember that these are children and it’s not exactly their nature to admit fault immediately. I hope the kid that got kicked in the head is okay. Who knows, maybe the two involved will go on to be best friends. Wishful thinking with the parents involved.
Report Post »Operaman
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 8:34amNot sure if you saw the other video. The kid in question, #2, was dirty from the get-go. And if you think the ball was anywhere near that kid’s head, then I‘m glad you’re not a referee.
Report Post »2Amendment
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 11:21amExactly correct.
You either know little about soccer or would endorse dirty play as a coach by that attitude. The referree let this dirty play go on with out issuing cards. That kick to the face deserved an immediate red card and a report to the association recommending banning the player from further competition. Ths was not an isolated occurance but part of a consistent pattern of play.
Kids should not have to risk serious injury to play a sport. Adults need to maintain control. This was a shameless display of bad coaching, bad refreeing and a kid with no ability to self control.
Report Post »DearDonkey
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 11:36amI’m definitely not a referee. :-)
If the kid was dirty from the beginning, then it changes everything. Ban the kid from the league. Ban the coach too if they were involved or encouraging it.
I never played soccer. I played little league baseball when I was their age. We rarely had bad sportsmanship (outside of an occasional crazy parent). But that was then, this is now.
I hope the kid that got kicked is okay.
Report Post »mdeputy7
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 8:10amIntentional, yes. Racist, no. Children ARE taught by certain coaches to be way to aggressive when playing sports. Soccer should never get like this at any age. I am scared for this kid, though, that kicked the other one. I‘m nervous that he needs to be psychologically checked out because I don’t know any kids that age that are that brutal.
Report Post »ADNIL
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 10:51amKids that age can be that brutal, they also strangle puppies, put lit cherry bomb into frogs’ mouths, hang kittens, molest their little sisters and, well, grow up to be sociopaths. Prisons are full of them.
Report Post »dvwrld
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 8:03amFinally a score.
Report Post »It’s 1 – 0.
RED-DAWN
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 8:00amI have seen crap like this before, right here in the good old US of A. Soccer at this level is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. You would think the coaches were fearful of missing that multi-million dollar signing bonus if their team looses. I stopped going to soccer games when one of the boys at our local high school had his arm broke in the state championship a few years ago. Yes, that was a dirty hit too but nobody went to jail.
And here I was thinking, Only In America! Shame on me…..
Report Post »Walkabout
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 11:04amSome people think a broken arm is nothing. Many times it is just another life event that we overcome.
But if it is a bad enough break ten a complication could be blood clots. Those are exceedingly dangerous.
If is nothing than the tough guys complaining of pansies should get their arms broken once a year. After all it would just build character. Right?
Report Post »Strat-M16
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 7:58amThere aere a lot of assumptions here. Looks like an accident to me. what a world.
Report Post »LouC57
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 7:53amSoccer is a stupid game anyway…I say give the kid a contract in … pro soccer? Does that exist? ;)
Report Post »Fried Okra
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 5:42pmLionel Messi makes $41,756,000.00 US Dollars a year.
Report Post »SpankDaMonkey
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 7:52am.
Report Post »‘Dirty’ Kick to an Opponent’s Head? Looked like a good “Clean’ shot to me…….
4xeverything
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 8:41amI’d love to be able to hear your “evil” laugh.
Report Post »SpankDaMonkey
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 9:02am.
Report Post »Ok here it is lol, lmao, Hehehehehehehe…..How was that?……
One Man Progressive Wrecking Crew
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 7:51amThat was pretty brutal and the kicker to me looks like a white kid and the recipient a Asian kid. Now they know how it feels to have foreigners taking over your country, and while that was bad, I seen a kid when I was a kid get hit in the &**)) with a baseball bat!! We didn’t play around with him either, and no one called the police, we just beat that kid’s azzz and he never pulled anything like THAT again.
Arrested? In this case surprisingly I would say yes because he easily could have killed him or blinded him with a toe to his eyes! That was unruly.
Report Post »SpankDaMonkey
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 7:44am.
Report Post »Caucasian and described them as “white bullies”, sounds like the Democrat Party here in the USA…..
Vvajk
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 7:43amWOW! Get that kid out of soccer and sign him up for The New Orleans Saints! Maybe with him on the team they could win another Super Bowl.
Report Post »bpodlesnik
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 7:37amClearly intentional, although I don’t think he needed arrested for it. But that was a clear kick to the face.
Report Post »salvawhoray
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 7:49amYou foot is a deadly weapon when using it to kick someone in the head.
Report Post »4xeverything
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 8:03amNot when you’re 10 years old, dear. Children don’t have the same self control that an adult has…period.
Report Post »Baddoggy
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 7:24amWhite kid kicked a Chinese kid in the head in China? His life is over and probably his parents too.
Report Post »000degrees
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 7:43amTurmoil continues in every corner of the globe due to lack of respect. Mankind is getting going to find itself in a very vulnerable position….
Report Post »