A 46 -year -old man was charged after allegedly caught a young boy on the neck in a junior football match in the north of Perth.
The police said that the man, a parent of a guest team, had approached the 11 -year -old boy who played in a match in Abbeville Park in Mindarie between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Sunday.
The man was accused of a charge of normal respect or blood circulation of another person by applying pressure on the neck.
The alleged victim was playing a junior football match on Sunday. (Reuters: Phil Noble ))
The child does not need medical treatment.
The Mindarie Football Club labeled him a “serious incident” and said supported the child and his family.
“Although passion and competitiveness are part of football, we must always remember that the game is for the players – especially the children,” said club president Lee Hughes.
“Their security, their pleasure and their development pass first”, “
He said.
‘Serious material’
West football CEO Jamie Harnwell also described it as a “very serious affair”.
“So that someone allegedly put their hands on the child of another person is extremely disturbing, as a parent of children and someone who loves the game a lot,” he told ABC Radio Perth.
But Harnwell said he was an incredibly insulated incident.
Harnwell says the incident is isolated. (ABC News: Kenith PNG))
“We have something like 1,500 to 2,000 current games every weekend and we certainly don’t hear anything like this,” he said.
“We work a lot with our clubs to support them, to support good behavior in games and training sessions and to make sure that all those who attend a football match include the expectations that are placed to them.”
He said Football West, the Director of Football in WA, would continue to support clubs while they were advancing.
“More importantly, it is for the players and the parents who were there, to make sure they are going well and continue to take advantage of what should be the best time of the week for them,” he said.
In a statement, Football West said he would cooperate with police on the issue.
The organization said that if the man had violated the West football conduct code and / or the spectator behavior code, he would face sanctions, including a possible ban on all West football matches.
Accused a parent
Whitford City Football Club confirmed that the man was a parent of a junior player and said that he had been prohibited from all the club’s activities, pending the outcome of legal proceedings.
In an article on social networks, the club said: “We take the questions of this very serious nature, and our priority is the security and well-being of all players, families and volunteers.”
The boy was allegedly assaulted in a junior football match in Abbeville Park, but does not need medical treatment. (ABC News: Aran Hart))
“As the case is now in court, the club will not make any other comments at the moment.”
The man should appear before the Joondalup court of first instance on June 6.
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